The Wilderness is Your Friend
by iBoss
Summary: Thalia's back with an idea. It's time these demigods enjoy the wonders of the wilderness. What would happen when Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, Grover and Nico go camping? Probably awkward situations, arguments, and bonding. It's only for a week though. Right?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! This is my first PJO fic. I randomly got this idea. I'm telling you this now. If you say this idea's been done before, I'm not stopping my story. I haven't read a fic like this yet, so if you have, that has nothing to do with me. I'm using my imagination so of course it's going to be different**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson & The Olympians**

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Percy's POV

I was having a great afternoon. It was a sunny, June day. It was like one of those days when you just want to kick back, relax, and basically do nothing. Annabeth said I was just being lazy. I tried explaining to her that I wasn't being lazy, but she said I was just making an excuse. I was just sitting on the dock acting like I didn't have a care in the world. See? I wasn't being lazy. I was being observant. Enjoying nature you might say. Grover would be so proud. I liked the silence. Everything seemed so peaceful.

Well until I was pushed into the lake.

_There goes my day,_ I thought. I swam up to face the guy that pushed me so I can hit them. They should know to never sneak up on me.

Before I did, I looked up and it wasn't a boy.

It was a girl about fifteen years old. She had spiky black hair and electric blue eyes. She had on a Green Day t-shirt, black skinny jeans, black converse, and a bracelet on her wrist. This girl really likes the color black. She would have looked like an average teenager. She wasn't though. Why? She was wearing a silver circlet which meant she was Artemis's Lieutenant.

"Thalia?" I asked my cousin.

"Did it take you that long to recognize me Kelp Head?" she asked back

"Well I thought it was a boy at first Pine-Cone Face." I answered

Her face was full of disgust. "That's an insult to a hunter of Artemis."

I couldn't help but laugh at that. Then she tackle-hugged me.

"It's good to see you again Percy. I see you're doing well." Thalia said

"Yeah, thing's have been good." I said

"How's everyone else at camp? Are things going well with Annabeth?" she asked with a smirk.

"We're all fine and Annabeth and I are doing well. Nothing else you need to know. So are all the hunters here?" I asked her

"Oh, no. It's only me that came. With permission of course."

"Why are you here then?"

She stepped back with an expression that meant she had an idea. Sometimes I don't like her ideas, but she doesn't like mine's either anyways.

"Well after pulling some strings my plan might work." She stated

"What plan?"

"Hmm. You're coming. Annabeth will come too. Grover, definitely. He'll tag along. I suppose we can invite Nico " she rambled on.

"Thalia," I interrupted, "what the hell are you talking about?"

"Percy, Percy, Percy. I carry good news with me. You're leaving Camp Half-Blood."

"What? Why?" I asked

"You ask so much questions. This isn't a game show." She said simply

"Well it'll be nice to know why I'm leaving. " I replied. Hopefully she doesn't want to get burgers. Most of time I see her she wants me to get some with her.

She gave me a bright smile. "Perseus Jackson. You are officially invited to go camping with me."

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**Does it seem short to you? It seems short to me. Well it's only the beginning. The next chapter will be longer hopefully. Review, thank you very much.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Oh hello again. Let's see I want to thank the people who reviewed: bonifaco 16, jahfreenahlam, & SkylerPhoenix**

**Thanks again to bonifaco 16 & jahfreenahlam who favored my story**

**And thanks to the people who subscribed: CrissyxD, HappyAce88, jahfreenahlam, TheJazzyDolphin, & SkylerPhoenix**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO. Do i have to always put this? Jeez.**

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**Percy's POV**

We were inside the Big House. Everyone was happy that Thalia came. We only saw her twice after the war. So it was good to have her back. Right now she was telling everyone her plan.

"So are you in?" she asked

"Camping out in the woods for a whole week? Of course! What about the monsters?" Grover asked.

"Psh. What about them? All we have to do is kill them. They won't be a problem. Besides, didn't we kill most of them off during the Titan War?" she replied

"I guess your right." He admitted

"That's one down. Annabeth, are you coming?"

"Sure. It'll be just like the old times." Annabeth said with a smile

"I already know Kelp Head goes wherever Annabeth goes. Am I right, Percy?" Thalia asked. I felt my face get hot.

"Shut up, Thalia. Yeah, I'm coming." I answered

"I thought so. What about you Nico?" Nico stayed silent. He seemed to be lost in thought.

"Nico? Nico? Corpse-Breath snap out of it!" she started snapping her fingers in face.

"Huh? What?" He responded.

"I asked if you're joining us on the trip." Said Thalia

"Oh. Sure why not." He answered. Thalia eyed him suspiciously before continuing.

"Okay then. So let me ask Chiron and then we'll eat dinner."

"Ask Chiron what?" Chiron asked as he entered the room.

"Hi Chiron." We all greeted in unison.

"Hello Children. Welcome back Thalia. Now excuse me for asking but what is it that you need to ask me?" Chiron asked again.

We moved to the side and let Thalia take it from there.

"Thanks guys." She said as she moved forward.

"Hello, Chiron. It's good to be back at Camp Half-Blood but I won't be here for long." She began

"Why is that?" he asked

"Well, I did come to visit my friends but I have an idea. I want Percy, Annabeth, Nico, and Grover to go camping with me."

"Camping?" he raised an eyebrow

"Yes camping."

"Does Artemis approve of this?"

"She does. As long as I don't break my vow, which I won't with these idiots, then I can go."

Chiron looked like he was putting this under consideration.

"I don't see why not. Are you the only ones that are going?" he asked us. We nodded.

"Well, you're allowed to go. You can sit at the Poseidon table to discuss details. After dinner, you all can start packing and leave in the morning."

"Thank you!" we said as we left.

::

**Thalia's POV**

"Zeus." I said as I poured some roasted turkey into the brazier. I started walking back to the Poseidon table. It's much better to sit with friends than be alone at the Zeus.

"Grover, if you keep eating tin cans like that, you're going to gain a lot of pounds." I heard Nico say as I sat down.

"Oh be quiet Nico, I won't get fat." Grover said as he stuffed five cans in his mouth. That was only going to prove Nico's point.

As I was beginning to eat a slice of pizza I got, Annabeth asked,

"So Thalia, where are we going?"

"I want it to be a surprise and keep you guys guessing." I answered

"You can't tell us?" Grover asked

"Nope. I'll probably tell you at my tree before we leave around noon."

"Can you give us a hint?" Percy asked. I motioned for him to come closer and whispered in his ear,

"Where's the fun if I'm telling? I can tell you one thing about it. I stumbled upon it while hunting."

He looked at me with disbelief.

"That was the worst hint ever. That wasn't helpful."

"You asked for _a _hint. Not a _helpful_ hint." I stole his grape, popped it in my mouth, and smirked. I knew that annoyed him. He hates it when he doesn't get a straight answer.

Once I finished eating I told them I was going to start packing. I walked inside the Zeus cabin. The statue of dad in there was really creepy. It felt like its eyes were following me. I don't need my father to be a Peeping Tom right now.

I realized I really didn't need to pack. My hunter's bag had everything I need. I started to look through the drawers. I found ten dollars and stuffed it in my pocket. I kept looking until I found it.

It was a picture of me, Annabeth, and Luke. It seemed so long ago and we look so young. This is what I was looking for. I put the picture in my bag. I want to carry it with me wherever I went. I couldn't leave all my past behind because of the hunters. I jumped into bed exactly the way I was dressed now. A good night's sleep is what I need.

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**More words. Much better. Don't worry they'll leave to go camping in the next chapter. Any of you campers have an idea on where they should go? If you have any questions or ideas PM me. While you review I'll play in the snow! lol**


	3. Chapter 3

**I would like to thank the people who reviewed, who subscribed, and who favored I would type your names, but I'm too lazy at the moment. Happy New Year's Eve! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO. My name's not Rick and I'm not a freakin man.**

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Thalia's POV

I woke up earlier than I wanted to because of the stupid sun shining brightly in my face. _Damn it, Apollo,_ I thought as I got out of bed. I was still a little tired but I might as well get ready. I grabbed a towel and began walking toward the showers. I was almost there when I heard voices.

"Chiron, is it a good idea to let those brats go camping?" It was Mr. D

"Are you actually worried, Dionysus?" Chiron asked

"Why, of course not. I just don't need Zeus getting angry that's all."

"They are talented half bloods. I'm sure they will be fine."

"More monsters live in the wilderness than big cities. Four half bloods and a satyr. Not to mention three of those demigods are children of the big three. Their scent would be like a flare. Who knows what Zeus would do if his daughter died?" Mr. D said.

I didn't want to eavesdrop but I had to listen to this. He isn't really worried about us. He just doesn't want to be the blame for our deaths.

"I know that. But they really want to go on this trip. We can't stop them from going. I trust them to be safe. As I said before, they are talented half bloods. They faced many monsters."

"I just hope your right Chiron. But you _that one_ is still out there."

"Sadly, yes. Let's not discuss this right now." Chiron said as they walked away.

Is it really that dangerous going camping? Who's _that one_ anyways? Should we still go on this trip if Chiron and Mr. D are that worried?

_Don't worry so much,_ I thought,_ you've fought many monsters before. You'll be fine._

I took a deep. Hopefully I was right.

::

I don't understand how I woke up at 9:00 am. I decided to be nice and let my friends sleep a little while longer. I spent an hour at archery practice. I kept shooting the center of the target. So far I had about seven or eight arrows stuck in the middle. Then I heard footsteps from behind me. I turned around my bow ready. It was only Annabeth.

"I surrender! Lower your bow please." She said her hand in the air. I lowered my bow.

"I thought I'd find you here." Annabeth said

"Yeah, I woke up early so I decided to come here." I said.

"Are you okay? You seem…tense." She asked. I was. I kept thinking about what Chiron and Dionysus were talking about earlier. I hated not knowing this. Wow, I'm starting to sound like Annabeth.

"I'm fine." I lied. "Hey, umm are you already packed up?" I asked changing the subject.

"Yeah. I doubt Nico and Percy are packed already. They're probably sleeping the day away forgetting the trip. Grover is probably up."

"I was expecting that." Then I had an idea. I suppose Annabeth saw the look on my face because she asked,

"Thalia, what are you thinking?"

"Maybe we should give them a wake up call.

::

"Are you sure Thalia?" Annabeth asked

"Of course." I said stifling a laugh

"It seems a bit mean though."

"Hey, Annabeth, I heard Percy say Athena kids are know-it-alls." I said. Okay, he didn't say it but I'm sure he thinks it. Everyone thinks it.

That made her mad. "Let's do this."

We were inside the Poseidon cabin, or as my father likes to call it, an Ocean's Nightmare. Annabeth and I decided we should prank the boys. It isn't a major Stoll Brothers Production, but it was still a small prank. We were next to a sleeping, drooling Percy making sure he didn't see us.

"Okay on three. One…Two…Three!" I counted. Then we were close to his ear and yelled together, "PERCY!"

"AHHHHHH! What! Ouch!" he yelled. His face was priceless. The perfect Kodak moment. I'm glad I brought my camera. He woke up too quickly because he hit his head on the base of the top bunk. Then he fell off the bed. We were laughing with tears.

"Ugh. You guys are so evil." He grumbled.

"I know we are. Now start getting ready. We leave at noon!" Annabeth reminded him before w did the same to Nico. Soon all of Camp would be seeing their reactions. Today so far was a good day for a Grace.

::

"I'm still saying that what you guys did wasn't nice at all." Nico complained at breakfast. We were sitting all together at the Zeus table with our bags with us. It was around 11:50 am, and these guys were still acting like babies.

"You guys deserved it. You weren't ready at all." Annabeth said

"Grover was even ready to go! He was just probably frolicking through the woods with Juniper." I butted in. We all laughed when Grover blushed.

"So where are we going Thalia?" Percy asked

"Didn't we been through this? I will tell when we're at my pine tree." I told him.

"Fine." He simply said

"So are we all ready to go?" I asked finishing up my waffles. They said yes. We started to get up and grab our bags.

"Bye Chiron." I said when we were near the hill.

"Have fun children. Be safe." He had a pained expression on his face but he managed a smile. I wonder if that had something to do with his conversation earlier.

We strode up the hill next to my tree. I turned around to face Camp-Half Blood once more. The far mountains, the peaceful beach, the twenty different cabins full of talented demigods, the stables full of magnificent Pegasus, the strawberry fields, the thought of being surrounded by children that have been through the same problems. I saw the sun shining beautifully over the camp. It made it seem like a safe haven. Here I was leaving it. I faced the tree. The Golden Fleece was shimmering.

"How are you Peleus?" I said, scratching the dragon's head. He's gotten really big. Then again, he's a dragon. They're supposed to be big.

I glanced at my watch. It was 11:59.

"Can we go now?" Grover asked while eating an enchilada. Where he got it from, I have no clue.

"Wait for it…" I said still looking for at my watch.

"Are you actually waiting until exactly noon to tell us?" Percy asked exasperated

12:00, my watch blinked

"Yes, I was. Now I can tell you. Well, sort of." I answered

"Sort of?" Percy asked

"I still want to surprise you guys so I'll give you guys a hint."

"Ugh. Not another one of your 'hints'." He complained

"Oh hush, Kelp Head. Anyways, I hope you guys like Colorado. Because that's where we're going." I revealed.

"How we're going to get there?" Grover asked

"By train. We better hurry and hail a cab before we miss our train."

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**Random chapter. Hopefully by the fourth or fifth they're finally camping. As you can see I'm basically stalling. So know any places to camp at in Colorado? Send me your ideas. I see alot of people are viewing it. Reviews would be nice! Tell your friends. your friends' friends. Your grandparents' friends. Next chapter we find out why Nico was so distracted in chapter 2.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hola again! Once again I'd like to thank those who reviewed, favored, and subscribed. Time to answer some questions and one comment.**

**AnimalBuddy32: Yes, there will be Percabeth. It's in the next chapter actually. Not too much but a nice amount.**

**Percabethlover: Well from what's going to happen further in the story your going to think I'm lying to you. I'm 12 actually. I have a passion for writing, I'm not waiting until August when I'm 13 to join.**

**FantasyFan57: I'm sorry if you feel my story is "pointless and stupid" This story is just for fun. I'm not stopping something other people enjoy. Now I'm being nice because for a 12 year old I have a "colorful" vocabulary.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO. I would have made sure the movie wasn't such a disgrace of a great book.**

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Percy's POV

I had a feeling we weren't going to see a lot of cabs drive past here. Plus we were running out of time. Finally, I thought of something. I searched my pockets to find my cell phone.

Okay, you probably already know that demigods aren't supposed to have cell phones or monsters will find us. But these cell phones were gifts from the gods for winning the war. What's so great about being in the modern world if you can't use anything modern? The monsters can't track us with these cell phones. That was a nice benefit.

I found my Droid and called Rachel.

"Hi, Percy!" she said from the other end

"Hey, Rachel." I saw Annabeth shoot me an annoyed look. "Uh, we need a ride to the train station. So, I was wondering "

"Let me guess. You're asking if I can send my father's chauffeur to take you."

"Pretty much."

"Well that isn't a problem. Let me go call Richard." Rachel said hanging up.

About two minutes later a limo pulled up in front of us. The driver rolled down the window.

"Are you the children Ms. Dare requested for me to drive?" He asked

"Yes."

"Get in." Richard said.

::

It was a smooth ride inside the limo. Grover was passed out on the seat. Annabeth was reading an architectural book (of course). Thalia was listening to her iPod. Nico, he was staring out the window the whole time with depressed eyes. I decided to go talk to the kid.

"Hey, Nico."

He looked at me from the corner of his eye. "Hi Percy."

"What's wrong?" I asked

"Nothing, I'm just thinking. That's all." He answered.

"Nico, you can't use that as your excuse forever. I could tell you were thinking hard yesterday when Thalia asked you to go camping." I told him.

"I was thinking about what would happen on the trip."

"Why exactly?" I asked

Nico sighed. "Alright, fine. I was wondering if I could even handle being on this trip. I suppose you want to know why also."

I nodded. He continued, "I was wondering if I could handle being on this trip because…because I may have a crush on Thalia." He stopped as if waiting for the laughter.

Nico di Angelo. Son of Hades, Prince of the Underworld, The Ghost King, has a crush on Thalia the huntress.

The Grinch does have a heart.

"Wow Nico. But you know she's sworn of boys." I reminded him.

"I know. That's why I was wondering, as I told you already, if I can handle being on this trip with her for a week with that reminder."

"I think she changed it to two weeks." I blurted out not meaning to.

"Even better. I might as well try to live with it. But don't tell anyone what I just said. Not even Thalia. Swear on the River Styx." He insisted

"I swear on the River Styx that I wouldn't tell anyone." I said, hand over my heart.

"Good." He went back to glaring outside the window. Apollo must have been in a very good mood because the sun was shining brightly over New York. So bright, my eyes could have been blinded. But all that sunshine didn't match Nico's mood very well.

::

By the time we were at the station, I could hear a man with a booming voice saying, "All aboard!"

"Grab your bags. We need to run." Thalia told us.

When you want to start running after sitting down for a long time, your legs feel like jelly. So that's why I was lagging behind while Annabeth was yelling at me, "Seaweed Brain! Hurry up before we miss our train!"

I tried picking up the pace. I almost ran into an old lady.

"Watch it, young man!" the old lady yelled at me waving her cane around.

"Sorry!" I told her

"Children these days; they need to respect their elders." She muttered to herself

_Well most of my elders would love it if I were dead_ I wanted to say. I saw that everyone else were by the gates. Did I just pass the gates without even noticing? I blame the old lady.

I started to gain speed. So much speed I almost ran into Grover. _First an angry old lady, now Grover._

"Okay. I'm here." I said

"About time. He's the last one. Here are the tickets, sir." Thalia said.

"Thank you ma'am. You all can come on board and go into your room." The man said.

"Room?" Grover asked

"Yes, room. You need someplace to sleep don't you?"

"Oh. That kind of train." Grover said

Once we stepped inside, the man closed the door behind us.

"The dining car is up ahead. We go straight to Denver. Here are your room keys. Enjoy." He said before he left.

"That man reminds me of the guy from Polar Express." Nico said

"He kind of does actually." Annabeth agreed

"Though, his mustache is overkill. It looks like the bottom of a broom." Thalia added.

"Okay guys, let's go to our rooms." Grover said taking a key from Thalia.

"Alright, we just have to walk further down." Thalia told him.

I wondered how long it would take for us to get to Denver by train. We'd probably get there faster by plane, but I know that no mater what, Zeus would never let me be in his domain. Even with his daughter.

"Alright, boys, your room is right across from our room. We'll see you at dinner." Thalia said before shutting her door in front of us.

"Well, bye." Grover said before unlocking our door.

The room wasn't big and it wasn't small. Goldilocks would have said it was just right. It had a window facing the door. There were four beds in the room. Two on the left. Two on the right.

"I call the top bed!" Nico said dumping his backpack on the bed.

"I guess I'll get the bottom bed." I said.

"This side all for me then" Grover called from the bed he was laying on.

"What are we going to do while we wait until dinner?" Nico asked from his bed

"I don't know about you, but I'm going to sleep." Grover said. Then I started to hear snores. He must be really tired today.

"That leaves you and me, Nico." No comment. "Nico?" I asked. I looked up at the top bed to see Nico sleeping too.

Maybe I'll just take a quick nap…

::

Have you ever seen an episode of a show, when a boy and a girl are supposed to be on a date, like at a restaurant, but the girl's stuck waiting at the restaurant while the boy doesn't show up?

The situation Annabeth was thinking was probably something like that.

"You're late as usual." Annabeth said when we were at our table in the dining car

"We were asleep okay?" I told her half asleep

"At least you came when the waiter's coming with our food. We ordered for you guys." Once she said that, the waiter was at our table with our dinner.

"Enjoy." He said

"Alright, the Caesar salad is for Grover, mashed potatoes and chicken for the rest of us." Thalia said

"How come you guys get all that and I only get a salad?" Grover asked

"Here have some fancy garlic bread."

"So where in Colorado are we going camping?" Nico asked

"It's near Pikes Peak. It's not really famous to mortals. Only some mortals camp there. We passed by it when we were chasing a monster. But it's really nice." She told us.

"But this goes all the way to Denver though." I reminded her

"I know. We can't afford everything. So I was wondering that by the time we get to Denver, Death Boy can shadow travel us there." Thalia said

"Why couldn't we just shadow travel before?" I asked

"Isn't it obvious? With the distance, Nico would be passed out for a few days." She told me

"Thanks you!" Nico said

"We'll be in Denver, in what, two days? We'll be camping at Hell's Forest in no time." Thalia assured us. Nico almost choked on his Coca Cola.

"Hell's Forest?" He asked

"There was a fire there a few years ago. Some dude said it reminded him of the fires of hell. So it's nicknamed Hell's Forest." She explained

"Lovely." Nico commented

_This trip is going to be interesting._

**Seems as though Thalia Grace-Pinecone Face's predication was correct. Wittle Nico has a wittle crush. I couldn't resist doing this. Don't worry I have everything all planned out, just not typed. Chapter 5 is done and will be posted wednesday. I'm currently typing up chapter 6. Jeez i have so much to do! I have this story, a science fair project, religion project, social studies project, math/computer-ish project, and this stupid math website called first in math that i have to go on everyday for homework. I have enough problems! I'm going to stop rambling on. I hope you enjoyed this, not the best but it's going to get better.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks to the people who reviwed, subscribed, and favored my story. It's nice to know that people enjoy it. Other thing I forgot to add last chapter: Hell's Forest is fictional as far as I know. I didn't want to do research otherwise I would start my school projects. So I used my imagination. You'll get a taste of Hell's Forest right now. Btw, PJO movie is on HBO. If you have it, you can watch it. I was making comments the whole time. lol**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the olympians**

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Percy's POV

A few days later, we made it to Denver. When we were a safe distance away from the mortals, it was time to shadow travel.

"Okay Nico, you ready?" Thalia asked

"Yeah, but if I pass out, I blame you." He told her. He stood still and concentrated hard. At first nothing happened. Then I was surrounded by darkness that I remembered from my first experience. It felt even spookier without Mrs. O' Leary. I couldn't see or feel my friends near me. Then I was blasted with daytime.

"We're here! Welcome to Hell's Forest." Thalia announced

It was a pretty nice place to go camping. It was very large. There were many trees, flowers, bushes. I saw a few potato chip bags on the ground so I guess some people weren't environmentally friendly. There were some birds flying over us too.

Thalia took in the scent of the forest.

"Ah. Being out here reminds me of the old days. Doesn't it Annabeth?" Thalia asked

"Uh huh. Watching the stars and eating smores with Luke back then. Remember when that snake crawled into his sleeping bag?" Annabeth agreed.

"Oh, yeah! He was so freaked out. Then later on he was trying to act all cool about it as if he wasn't afraid." Thalia remembered.

The girls dreamily let out a sigh. I was trying to not get annoyed by that. Fine, you can say I was getting a little jealous. How would you feel if your girlfriend was going to La La Land day-dreaming about her old crush? I didn't want that thought in my head. After all, he was dead so I should respect that. Even if he was a jerk for a few years.

"Percy, are you okay?" Grover asked

"What? Yeah, I'm fine."

"I was getting weird emotions from the empathy link. Plus your eyes were starting turning colors. It was mossy green like a swamp.

"I saw that too. It was kind of creepy." Nico said. Huh. I guess my eyes change green colors depending on my mood. I'm guess I'm some kind of human mood ring now.

"Cough. Green-eyed monster alert. Cough." Nico "coughed"

"Oh shut up Nico." I told him

"I almost forgot. Come on, you guys. I want to show you something." Thalia said climbing throw the bushes, oblivious to what we were talking about.

We all glanced at each other then started to follow her. She was walking down a small path that led to other blockade of bushes.

"It's right through here." She disappeared through it.

We continued walking until we passed the bushes and I saw one of the most magnificent sites ever. It was a large, sparkling water fall flowing down into a river. From the other side there was a family of deer, bunnies, and blue jays in the trees. There were other animals too, so full of life and so peaceful.

"Wow. This is beautiful." Annabeth said

"It's one of the best things I've ever seen." Grover agreed

"I can't believe I'm seeing this right now." Nico joined in.

"Let's go back to the campsite and unload. I'm sure we'll be back later." Thalia was already walking back down the path. When we walked back, Thalia already had a big tent set up. We all could fit. I always wondered how the hunters could load and unload in less than fifteen seconds.

"Uh, I have a question." I asked

"What, Percy?" Annabeth asked

"Where do we go to…uh…use the bathroom?"

"Are you seriously asking that?" Thalia asked

"Well, we obviously can't go on a random tree." Nico stated

"No! It could be a tree nymph for all you know. That's like saying you're going to pee on Juniper." Grover cried

"That's why I'm asking." I said

"Can't you pee in a can or something?" Thalia asked

"I don't think Grover will appreciate that since he likes his cans."

"I'm sure there's an outhouse around here or something."

"You want me to use an outhouse?"

"Yes. Use your inner hillbilly." She said

"Why kind of woods do you hunt in?" I mumbled to myself. I guess she heard me because she sent a glare my way.

"Just put your bags in the tent." Thalia said pushing me toward the tent.

::

Thalia's POV

The sun was beginning to set and we didn't have any firewood.

"I'll go get some wood." I informed the group

I started walking down a path trying to find usable wood. No such luck yet. I continued walking further down the path. It started feeling a little more elevated. It was probably made like that.

Soon I saw some wood scattered around. I checked to see if they were the right size, if they were scorched or not, if it was too mossy. They were okay. I picked them up in my arms and started to leave. When I started walking, I felt something fall beside me. Maybe it was a leaf or something.

::

Night fell, and it was a bit cold, so the fire helped. I still felt a little chilly but it wasn't a big deal.

"Weenies or s'mores?" I asked. The boys, being immature, tried to cover up their chuckles when I said weenies. At least I didn't say wieners.

"S'mores." Everyone answered. So we took a marshmallow and started roasting the marshmallows. Some of them weren't doing a great job. Percy's marshmallow kept dropping into the fire. It was funny because it was his fifth try and no such luck.

"You can't even roast a marshmallow?" Annabeth asked him "You are such a Seaweed Brain. But that's why I love you." She said before she kissed him on the lips. Blech. Did they really have to do that it public?

"Get a room!" Nico yelled. At least someone agrees. I noticed he wasn't having much luck with the marshmallow either. I got up and sat next to him.

"At least your marsh mellow isn't committing suicide." I teased.

"Yeah, well, it keeps getting scorched. Not something I want to eat." He told me.

"Here, let me help you." I offered grabbing the stick from his hand. When I touched his hand it was really warm. I'm sitting right in front of the freaking fire and I'm cold. How is he so warm?

"Uh, Thalia? Mind letting go of my hand?" he asked me. I didn't even notice that my hand was still touching his.

"Oh. Sorry." I apologized hoping I was blushing like an idiot. I noticed under the fire's light that he was blushing a bit too. Talk about awkward.

"Anyways, I think you're just roasting it for too long. Give it enough time but not too much." I used my other hand to grab a two crackers and a piece of a Hershey bar.

"Then when it's done, try not burning yourself putting the marshmallow between the crackers and chocolate, and voilá! You have yourself a s'more." As I said this, I put it together and took a bite out of it.

"I thought you were going to help me not eat it." He said with a smile

"Visual Demonstration." I said between bites. He tried again and he managed to make his s'more.

"It seems Percy still isn't getting any luck. I guess he's really determined." We laughed. Percy went through half a bag of marshmallows! You'd expect him to make one s'more by now.

"I got it. Blech." He said looking at his s'more with distaste.

"What's wrong with it?" Grover asked

"The chocolate has almonds in it." He complained. Oops.

I got up and stretched and began walking toward the big tent.

"It's starting to get late. Let's all just change into our pajamas and get a good night's sleep." I told them. I didn't know that we weren't going to have a good night at all.

* * *

**For all you crazy Thalico fans, they had a moment. For all you people thinking I ruined the story by doing this, she was too focused on her being cold so she forgot she was holding his hand. HALF AND HALF SITUATION. You'll get a piece of what you want. Don't worry. Remember, she's still a hunter. I'm not trying to piss Artemis off ;]**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks to everyone who likes the story so far! It's nice to know you're enjoying the story so far**

**Attention: Before you read this chapter, pay close attention to one part in chapter 5. Then come back and carefully read Chapter 6. See if you can figure out what I'm talking about**

**Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own PJO. Though I wish i owned Nico... oh don't mind me!**

* * *

Thalia's POV

I hate demigod dreams more than anything. They've toned down a bit but I guess good things don't last.

_I was surrounded by pitch-black darkness. I was alone. Or so I thought. The voice, whoever it belonged to, had a horrible laugh. It was the type of laugh mean girls would have right after they'd spill their lunch over you. But something about it felt…different. It was more powerful and magical all at once._

"_Well, go on. Sit down." The voice obviously belonged to a woman. She snapped her fingers, and then a type of stage light shone over a golden seat that resembled a throne. Perhaps it was._

"_I said. _SIT DOWN!_" she pushed me onto the throne. A strap wrapped around me in the chair. Then my wrists and my ankles were strapped down. I couldn't get up at all._

"_Who are you? What do you want with me?" I yelled_

"_Holy Zeus, stop your yelling. I only wish to speak with you." She said calmly_

"_Then why did you strap me down, huh?" I swear, even in the darkness, I was able to sense her lips curl into a cruel smile._

"_That way you would not escape. I am not someone you do not wish to mess with. Causing trouble is my specialty you know. A specialty I enjoy." Her voice, sounding sharp as a knife said._

"_I don't see why this has anything to do with me." I barked, blowing a hair strand out of my face._

"_Aren't you a feisty one? It reminds me of…me. I'll remember you Thalia Grace." She said_

"_What do you want? How do you know my name?" I asked again_

"_Oh you mortals are so fun to mess with. I've grown bored up above. The world needs more trouble, like the oil spill. That was fun."_

"_Did you cause that?"_

"_Yes, then BP took the blame. They were the ones in the area. Of course they'd get in trouble. Poseidon was so mad! He's funny red faced. Now you've thrown me off track. Thanks a lot. I'm here to give you a warning." She told me_

"_Warn me about what?"_

"_I like to cause trouble. I know you and your group, your little, special group. I say it's time to meet your doom." She promised_

"_Doom?"_

"_Well not exactly doom. Otherwise I would be in so much trouble if I killed you. There are some things I want. When I can't get it, I'll make sure I will in any way I can." As she said this she took a bite out of something. An apple?_

"_What is it that you want?" I asked her_

"_Where's the fun in telling? You'll find out." She assured me._

"_Why are you telling me this?" I asked her_

"_If I don't get what I want you're going to be in trouble with me. I'm just warning you. I'll leave presents for you along the way. I'll be seeing you soon, Thalia Grace. Now wake up for your first _'_present'. Have fun" The straps were released and I got up. I felt like I was spinning…spinning…spinning._

::

I woke up feeling really dizzy. Then I heard a snap of a tree branch, another snap, and then a growl. I could make out a silhouette but I didn't know of what.

I tried waking up the person nearest to me. Percy.

"Percy, wake up." I said shaking him

"No, Annabeth. We can't go all the way. Athena would kill me." He answered sleepily.

Oh gods. That was something I didn't need to hear.

"It's Thalia. Come on Percy."

"Okay, Annabeth, I'll do it." he said. I slapped him hard on the back

"Ouch!"

"Oh good, you're awake." I said sarcastically.

"Yeah, I am. Now what is it?" while he was talking his eyes were half open.

I pointed toward the shadow. "Look."

"What is that?" Percy asked staring through the darkness.

We heard another snap and a growl. Then another growl that was closer to the tent. We tried waking up the others.

We grabbed our flashlights and went outside.

"Shh." I said moving slowly.

"ROARRRRRRR! GRRRRRR!" was all you heard

"Holy crap!" Nico yelled. Holy crap was right. We were facing a really tall, really large bear that looked ready to kill us.

Percy lifted his sword Riptide.

"Seaweed Brain! That's celestial bronze! It wouldn't harm the bear!" Annabeth yelled at him

"Well what do you want me to do?" he asked-yelled

"Just run!" she said exhausted

I was trying to grab my bow and arrows while making sure I wasn't going to become bear food.

My hand went straight to my bracelet. Then I realized it wasn't there.

"Where's Aegis?" I asked, trying to see if it was on the ground.

"Thalia, look out!" Grover yelled.

"Huh?" I asked confused. Too late. I just got hit in the face by the bear and fell to the ground.

"Damn it."

"Thalia, are you okay?" Percy called. He was trying to distract the bear, waiting for Annabeth to have a plan any minute now.

"Oh, yeah, I'm dandy .I'm just lying down on the ground…while my face is bleeding!"

"Hold on Mr. Bear! Let me talk to you." Grover tried to calm the bear down. He started speaking bear language. Next thing I see the bear is nodding his head and turning around.

"He said that he had gotten splinters all over his back. The pain drove him crazy. He didn't mean to cause a disturbance but he was afraid to get more splinters and a pinecone stuck in his nose." Grover translated

So the bear was just injured? I shined my flashlight in the bear's face. There was a pinecone in his nose. It must be a bit hard for him to breathe.

"Grover can you take the pinecone and the splinters out?" I asked

"It's going to take a while. Oh and he says he's sorry for scratching your face." Grover told me

My hand crept up to my cheek, the spot where that bear scratched me, a few centimeters away from clawing my eye out.

"I'm going to need some light and some pliers because these are some big splinters.

::

Percy's POV

The next morning I felt exhausted. I couldn't go to sleep because of that bear attack. He couldn't hurt me because I was invincible. If he tried to hurt me, he'd be thinking "WHY WON'T YOU CUT!" But it was exhausting trying to control that bear. I hope we don't encounter another one even though he has an issue.

Thalia has a nasty cut on her face from where the bear scratched her. Hopefully it didn't leave a scar. We were all sitting at the picnic table outside.

"Where's Thalia?" Nico asked

"In the tent I think." Grover said

"Well, we can't eat breakfast without her." Annabeth replied. All the boys groaned. We were starving and couldn't chow down until Sleeping Beauty woke up.

"Percy, go get her." Nico suggested

"Why should I do it?" I asked

"JUST GO!"

So I walked inside the tent. Thalia was really knocked out. I started poking her. She stirred in her sleep. _That's a start_

'Thalia, Thalia, wake up."

"Five more minutes Phoebe. I don't want to go hunting yet."

It's not Phoebe. It's me. Percy, your friend."

"Percy? Who?"

"Percy. Percy Jackson."

"Jackson…Jackson. Oh hi Michael Jackson! I thought you were dead. So how's life?"

"Oh my gods, Thalia! It's not Michael Jackson! Its Percy!" to make sure she can finally wake up I squirted water in her face.

"Ugh. Percy! Why the hell did you wake me up? Did you not notice that I was sleeping?"

"Oh calm down Janet."

"Janet?"

"Janet Jackson. Because you think I'm Michael Jackson."

She glared at me.

"You are so going to get it later. Is breakfast ready?"

"Yeah we were waiting for you."

"Percy, why didn't you just say so?" she rushed out the tent and left.

"Percy. We're waiting for you! Stop lounging around and get out here. We're starving." Thalia called out. She can't be serious. She was the one sleeping!

During breakfast Thalia's hands couldn't stay still. Her hands would either touch the cut on her face, or her wrist that's missing her magical bracelet that would turn into her shield. Where did that go anyways?

* * *

**Do you get it or are you confused? Who's that lady in Thalia's dream? Is she a goddess? Where's Aegis? Is Percy really Michael Jackson? All these unanswered questions! I'm going to be working on 3 projects so I might update once or twice a week. Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays like usual if possible. School projects are useless. They're a waste of time and money, and they'll be thrown out at some point. Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks to everyone! You guys are awesome. As a gift, here's chapter 7!**

**Question of the day: Who would be your godly parent and why?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO**

* * *

Percy's POV

Later around lunchtime, it was time for Thalia to have an idea.

"Do you remember the place I took you guys at? The place with the waterfall?" she asked. We nodded.

"Good, because we're going swimming today." Thalia said

That was an idea that I didn't have a problem with. Swimming? The best thing you can ask a son of Poseidon to do.

"So start changing and whatever. I'll meet you by the lake." She already started running.

"Don't you have to change?" I yelled

"I already got it under my clothes. Go change!" her voice started fading when she ran down the path.

"Let me go first." Annabeth said entering the tent.

Then I remembered I had to ask Annabeth something. I should ask her before she starts changing.

Bad timing.

When I entered the tent, she already had her top off. I was standing there frozen like an idiot. Was I shocked? Yes, I was. I just saw my girlfriend without her shirt on. Now she's probably going to kill me.

As if noticing something was wrong, she turned around and her eyes widened in shock. I couldn't tell if her face were red from anger or embarrassment. She grabbed a towel and covered herself with it.

"Percy! What are you doing here?" she asked

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to I mean I wanted to ask you something." I stuttered

"I don't care! Just get out!" as she said this she threw a shoe at me leaving a perfectly good mark.

I left as soon as I can.

"What happened to you face?" Nico asked confused

"A shoe attacked me." He didn't say anything after that.

_Perseus Jackson! What do you think you have just done?_ a voice asked in my head. I heard that voice only a few times before. It was a voice you didn't want to hear.

_Hi, Athena,_ I answered sheepishly

_WHAT WERE YOU DOING PEEPING ON MY DAUGHTER_! she yelled in my head giving me a headache.

_I didn't mean to Athena. I just wanted to ask her something,_ I admitted

_While she's changing, _she continued to yell

_I swear on the River Styx that I didn't mean to. It was just bad timing._ I swore

_I'm watching Perseus. Remember that._ Then her voice went silent.

As soon as that happened, an owl landed in a tree, staring at me coldly.

"Oh gods," I said under my breath

"I'm done." Annabeth said stepping out of the tent. I immediately thought of a song I hear a while back.

_It was an itsy bitsy, teeny weeny, yellow polka-dot bikini._

I had to say, she looked really beautiful. The sun was shining right on her, her blonde curls falling into place, her grey eyes sparkling.

She caught my eye and blushed a bit. Then she remembered she was upset with me, glared, then turned away.

Well _that_ went well.

"I'll go change next." I said breaking the awkward silence.

::

Thalia's POV

It felt like a nice day as if we weren't demigods who lived dangerous lives. We were having a good time. Well up until Percy and Nico wanted me to jump.

"No way, no way in Hades, am I ever going to jump from the top of that waterfall to the lake." I rejected shaking my head back and forth.

"You're jumping Thalia. So get you're skinny behind up that cliff and jump." Percy commanded. I gave him one of my death glares.

"Come on Thalia. It's just a one-time thing. You'll be jumping with me and Percy anyways.' Nico tried to convince me.

"Exactly, just because you're child of Zeus afraid of "

"Don't even mention my phobia! I am not jumping that cliff hurtling toward my death." I told them

"You're not going to die." Nico said, sounding tired of going through this.

"What if I drown?" I tried making up every excuse possible

"Hello? Child of the Sea god right here." Percy said waving a hand in my face. I smacked it away.

"Just one jump?" I asked considering it.

"It's just one jump, unless we have to push you off." Percy told me.

"Push me and I will fry your eyebrows off." I warned him.

"We won't push you," Nico said, eyeing Percy like he was stupid or crazy, "its one jump, with the two of us."

"Okay, I'll jump."

::

"I don't want to do this anymore! I don't want to do this!" I yelled. I tried turning back, but Percy and Nico blocked my way. Crap.

"We had a deal. You need to jump." Percy said, sounding all in charge.

I looked down again at how high I was and the raging waters below. What a wonderful way to die.

"I'm going to die now. I am going to totally die now." I said looking down.

"Haven't we been through this?" Nico asked me

"We can still push her off." I heard Percy whisper to Nico

"You are not going to push me off!" I glared at him again. If I keep that up, my face is going to stay that way.

"It's going to be a nice and easy fall. We'll just have a nice splash when we get down. Can't you will the air currents to slow our fall?" Percy asked

"I don't know. I never really tried. I'm not trying today either." I told him. _Willing the currents? I never thought of that before._

"Then just hold on to my hand while we fall. We'll stick together. Would that make you feel better?" Percy asked, offering me his hand.

"You can hold my hand too." Nico offered from my right.

I took in a deep breath. Then let it all out. I swallowed hard.

"Fine, but if I die, I will haunt both of your souls forever." I told them smirking. They laughed. I grabbed hold of their hands.

"Okay on three. One…two…three!" Then together we jumped off that cliff, screaming our heads off, splashing in the water.

My heart was still pounding after that. Everyone could probably hear it beat. It felt like it was that loud. I brushed my wet hair out of my eyes and tried to see well. We were in the lake. We just fell off that cliff in less than 15 seconds. We survived.

"Any thoughts?" Percy asked after doing the "Bieber-hair flip" with his wet hair.

I was too lost for words. "That was incredible. I never had that feeling in my life." I admitted "But I will never do that ever again! I almost died! I'll stick to swimming the easy way." I informed him

"Maybe we should have pushed her." Nico answered after I finished complaining about my near-death experience.

"Oh hush." I raised my hand in front of him "You're on hold."

::

"Why are you in a distant mood?" I asked Annabeth. We were sitting on the shore. She didn't seem like she was that okay.

"Something…happened." She said slowly

"Well what happened?" I'd love it if she'd get to the point

"When I was changing into my bikini, Percy walked into the tent." She answered.

"Oh my gods, were you…you know?" she nodded

"That is not right. Saying that to a hunter? That'll make it sound even nastier." I said

"Thanks." She said looking down

"Annabeth, don't act this way. Percy's a good guy. Hell, if I wasn't a hunter and liked him that way, I'd date him. But that's not my point nor will I say that ever again. My point is, he wouldn't try to do anything wrong. It wasn't like he tried to take a peek. I'm sure he had his reasons." I tried to comfort her.

"He said something about having to ask me a question" Annabeth said

"Well there you go! I'm quite sure, knowing him, he probably felt like one of Apollo's cattle: Bright red and dumb. Don't be so upset about it. I'm not saying you shouldn't be upset. No girl wants a boy seeing her shirtless, but don't be hard on him. I think he was just shocked so that's why he didn't leave."

"I guess you're right. I should talk to him about that later."

"You should. Now that problem is settled." I said while eating a strawberry from a bowl we brought.

"Another is in the progress." Annabeth announced

"What do you mean?" I asked

"You seem like something's bother you. Are you okay?"

I thought of the dream I had. That weird lady that was threatening to make things difficult made me shiver.

"No, I'm fine. Just mad that Kelp Head and Death Boy made me jump. I don't have a death wish. That's all. Strawberry?"

* * *

**That just abouts does it. Percy accidently saw his girlfriend half naked, Thalia jumped off a cliff, and is thinking about that dream? What's going to happen next? I don't know, you tell me! Spread the word about this story if you like it so much. Any questions about the story, ask in a review or message me. I finally fixed my profile. It looks alittle better**


	8. Chapter 8

**NO SCHOOL! I'm so happy about that, because I have time to update and work on my projects! Is it snowing where you live? Anyways, thanks to everyone, now here's chapter 2.**

**I swear the story traffic thing is broken or something.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO. Do I have to put this in _every_ chapter?**

* * *

Percy's POV

We had a really fun time swimming. Grover was in a sour mood because his hooves wouldn't let him swim that well. When it was finally night time, he was still grumbling about how rude it was that we were laughing. It was a funny sight, what could we say?

Day Two of our camping trip was about to end, but not until we started our stories.

We were sitting by the warmth of fire (Thank you Hestia), while Annabeth suggested it.

"Let's tell ghost stories. Who should start?"

"How about the King of Ghosts himself?" Grover asked

"Thank you. I'm honored. I've spoken to many spirits. What's a good story to tell? Hmm. I got it! Grover, if you're going to get scared easily you might as well not listen. This will scare the shi . Scare your pants off. That's it."

"Nico what were you going to say?" Thalia asked Nico eyeing him suspiciously.

"What do you mean?" He asked innocently. Innocent? Yeah, right.

"You were beginning to say something else."

"I was going to say it will scare the shit out of him."

"Nico, don't be fucking swearing around here. What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"You just did! Twice!"

"I'm older than you."

"No, you're not."

"I am. I was born a long time ago but was stuck as a tree and now immortal. I should be in my twenties."

"I was born before world war II! So if I wasn't trapped at the hotel I would be an old man or dead!"

"Old people shouldn't swear. You should know that Grandpa Nico."

"Thalia, I swear "

"Guys can you shut up and get on with the story?" I cut in.

"Fine" they both grumbled, glaring at each other.

"Alright, this story might be more sad than scary. But it just has some messed up stuff in it, that poor soul."

"Can we get on with it?" Annabeth asked

"Okay then, gosh. This was in the city of Philadelphia. It was already dangerous. But it became worse. Suddenly women started getting raped and strangled to death. They were being killed by none other by the Kensington Strangler.

"It already wasn't safe as it already as in the Kensington area. With the Strangler showing up, it just gave those citizens another reason to leave that neighborhood. Did they leave? Not really." He stopped to look at our faces. So far our faces were neutral but that strangler sounded like someone you didn't want to mess with.

"Little Angela always went to her friend, Rashonda's house."

"What kind of a ghetto name is that?" Thalia asked

"I don't know. I'm going to continue. So anyways, it was a Saturday morning so Angela wanted to visit Rashonda. She asked her mom if she could go. Her mom said yes. Angela grabbed her jacket, left her house, and started walking. Now why would a mother let a little girl walking in a dangerous neighborhood by herself? Rashonda lived down the street and Angela's mom didn't care. Passing by abandoned houses covered in graffiti, hoodlums eyeing her, she climbed the steps of Rashonda's house.

'Rashonda!' she yelled, knocking on the door. No one answered. It was strange because Rashonda and her older sister Quanisha would stay in the house until their mom came home from work. They would have been awake by now. She looked down at the door mat under her feet. Maybe if she was lucky enough…

"Angela lifted up the mat and spotted the key.

'Aha! Now lets just undo this lock' she told herself while unlocking the door. She walked inside. It was dark. The shades were drawn closed, the TV wasn't on like most days, and the radio wasn't blasting music of Quanisha's liking. Something just wasn't 're supposed to be at home. But where were they?" Nico looked at us as if we knew where they were.

"'Rashonda, are you home?' she asked walking up the steps quietly. As she walked, she saw something red on the wooden staircase. It almost resembled…blood. It was probably just paint. When she was on the second floor, her heart rate started speeding up once she reached the door to Rashonda and Quanisha's shared bedroom. Angela felt like she was being watched. But no one else was there."

"Something isn't right." Annabeth said. Even during a story, she's still thinking. Then her eyes widened.

"Figured it out yet?" Nico asked with a grim expression.

"Maybe, but I might be wrong."

"You wish you were wrong." Nico continued, "Angela's heart nearly stopped when she slowly turned the doorknob and opened the door. On the floor were Quanisha and Rashonda. Both their eyes were closed. Quanisha has blood trickling from her mouth and blood on her arms. Rashonda had a large cut the size of a snowball on her forehead dripping blood, and her side was bleeding.

'Oh my God!' Angela yelled rushing toward her friends. She tried to check for a pulse. They were both dead. Tears started forming in her eyes. _Don't cry. Do not cry,_ she thought to herself. Then she noticed something she didn't see at first. Around both of their necks, there was a bruise. Looking closely, it looked like hands were there. Before she could blink, she a heard a creak of the floor boards.

'Hello? Who's there?' she asked. No answer. Her fear started growing inside of her. She had to get out of there. She ran out of the room, down the stairs, running toward the front door. It was closed! She didn't re-lock it when she entered. Someone was there with her. She jiggled the handle. Where was that key? It wasn't in her pockets. Angela banged on the door.

'Help, please someone help me!' she yelled. She was obviously desperate. No help was going to come, only trouble. She felt someone grab her arm and pulled her across the room. His grip was firm.

'Who are you?" she asked

'Who do you think little girl?' he asked. Not really an answer. She looked up at him. He looked like a cross between a Hispanic and an African American male. She really couldn't tell. Most of his wanted posters are in black and white. He had a mole on his face and a tear drop tattoo under his eye. All Angela could do was stare at him, knowing her life was coming toward an end.

'You're him, The Kensington Strangler.' As soon as she the words, she knew they were true. He smiled at her, the smile having no actual humor.

'Good, now I don't have to introduce myself. Now you're coming with me.' He told her, getting closer. She did what most girls her age would do. She bit him.

'Ow. That's it, you're really gonna get it.' He warned her. He dragged her up the stairs, her legs hitting each step.

'That hurts. You can't do this. I'll call the police!' she told him

'With what phone are you gonna call? It's over. Nice try.' She tried lunging at him but he punched her in the face.

'You don't give up. I like that.' He grabbed her arm again and pushed her into Rashonda's room. It made her sick knowing the two girls were dead.

'Say goodbye. Because you're leaving.' then he grabbed her throat, using both his bare hands, to strangle the life out of her." We all hand our hands, touching our necks, as if seeing if it was still okay.

"She could feel herself getting weaker. She collapsed on the floor without a word. The strangler left, knowing his work was done. Angela didn't know it until the flames reached the second floor, that he set the house on fire.

'Help me.' She croaked. 'Help…' were her last words. Somewhere else, the Fates cut the string, ending the ten year old girl's life. She died an innocent young maiden, a victim of a grown man's stupidity. Where was he now? They don't know. Maybe he escaped to Mexico, maybe he died, or maybe he went to his mother's house. He's still isn't caught. You don't hear him much on the news anymore, but every corner you look in Philadelphia, his picture staring at you, making you wonder if you're his next victim." That was Nico's last sentence before he went silent. Grover took out his reed pipes and started playing a song. It took me a few seconds to realize he was playing Amazing Grace. It was appropriate. It was a nice way to honor the girl. Maybe now she was in the Fields of Asphodel or Elysium at least.

_Hmm, being strangled to death. It gives me an evil idea for something later on. Isn't it a good idea Perseus? _A voice I didn't recognize asked in my head. It sounded…feminine.

"Percy, can we talk?" Annabeth asked me, already standing.

"Sure." was the only word I can say.

::

We were sitting by the lake, under the moonlight, not saying a single word. That is, until I broke the silence.

"Annabeth I'm really sorry about earlier." I apologize.

"I already forgive you Percy, I know you didn't mean to. I mean, would it kill you to step on a branch or something? But still, it's neither of our faults. What was it that you wanted to ask me though?" she asked me

"I don't want to talk about it. It's stupid now." I said staring at the lake

"Percy, it must have been important."

"It doesn't matter Annabeth. Maybe I'll tell you later." After a few more minutes of silence, she spoke again.

"You're thinking about that little girl, aren't you?" she asked.

"Uh huh. It's sad how the ones, who did nothing, are the ones who suffer." I told her.

"It really is. But it's not like we could have done anything. There are even more souls who lost their lives for something stupid." She reminded me

"But what if…that happened to you?" I asked her. I'd know she'd get upset with me getting into that topic.

"That's never going to happen."

"I lost you once before I don't want to lose you forever."

She sighed, "You worry to much you know that? We don't know what's going to happen. For now, let's just focus on what's happening currently." She kissed my cheek. "And currently, I want to sleep. Let's go back."

I managed a smile. I got up and offered her my hand. She took it, and we walked back, hand-in-hand. But I couldn't stop thinking about that voice. Who was that lady?

* * *

**Let's get some things straight. The Kensington Strangler is real. He hasn't been caught yet. I don't know if he's still in the city(maybe he's in New Jersey hopefully.) Percy and Annabeth had a chance to talk. Percabeth-ish moment. The goddess is talking inside Percy's head too. Yes, Thalia did lose her bracelet back in chapter 5. If she going to search for it soon? We still do not know if Percy's related to Michael Jackson. Lol. Bye guys! **


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry, that I didn't update Friday. The chapter wasn't done yet and I was busy. Couldn't work on it Saturday either because I went to a party. PYT burgers are the best! You're reactions to Nico's story in Chapter 8 made me happy because they were funny. I made this one long for you guys. Chapter 9 everyone!**

**Disclaimer: Rick still owns PJO while I do not.**

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Thalia's POV

I almost didn't survive the first dream. Now, I have another demigod dream? You have got to be kidding me!

_I think I was in a cave. But it felt unnatural, like magic was stirring further inside. My vision was still fuzzy. When it was cleared, I couldn't believe who I was facing._

"_Rachel?" I asked _

"_Uh, hi Thalia." She answered_

"_What are you—"I stopped midway into my sentence. I saw all these other girls. Who were they? I had no clue. One girl was wearing a tie-dye dress with hippie love beads as jewelry. She looked so familiar._

"_Isn't that the old oracle?" I asked. She looked exactly like the mummy except this girl was young and well, alive._

_As soon as I asked that, all the girls dropped down on their knees, making a circle around me. The temperature probably dropped twenty degrees. The room grew dark at first. Then a fire (which I had no clue was there) burst into green and purple flames. Not really natural. The girls' eyes glowed green and green mist escaped from their mouths. When they spoke, their voices were serpent-like, and sounded tripled. _

"_I am the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach seeker, and ask." How on earth did all the past Oracles come together? I'm pretty sure most of them are dead._

"_Well, I really don't want to ask. But what is so important, that all the Oracles of Delphi are present?" I asked_

_The flames glowed brighter. I looked back to it. The flames were starting to form images. People made of flames were being formed before my eyes. They were probably going to represent scenes._

"_Four half-bloods and a satyr must end it all._

_A goddess gone mad has to fall._

_Two demigods will be lost._

_An extra will help but soon turn to frost._

_The immortal must pay._

_Throw the apple to save the day." _

_The images grew large, almost life size. They were inches away, ready to burn my face. I backed against the wall. The Oracles, still under the spirit's power were inching forward too. There was no where to run. I was completely surrounded._

"_Oh Thalia, see how much I can do? Have fun trying to stop me."_

::

I woke up heavily breathing and sweating. That dream felt so real. I grabbed Grover's arm and glance at his watch. It was two in the morning.

"That was too close." I said taking slow breaths.

"What was too close?"

"Gods, Nico. Don't sneak up on me." I told him.

"I don't see how that's sneaking up, if I'm right next to you." Nico said. He was next to me. He had a point.

"Oh, I guess you're right."

"What's wrong? You're sweating as if you ate a spicy taco and you're breathing hard." He said looking concerned

"It's nothing, really." I didn't sound as convincing as I hoped.

He gave me a, you're-not-fooling-me look. "You're coming outside for air."

"No, I don't want to go outside. It's too early." I complained

I lost the argument. He already started helping me up and taking me outside. We sat on a log in front of the fire pit. I started taking slow and small breaths.

"Here, drink this." Nico handed me his water canteen. I took a few sips then handed it back.

"Better?" He asked. I nodded

"So what was you're dream? It must have been intense if it has you reacting like this." He said

I thought for a few minutes before answering. "I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to say anything to the others. I'll tell them in the morning so don't wake them up. Promise?"

"I promise. So what is it?"  
"In my dream, I had a prophecy." I said.

His eyes widened. "A prophecy in your sleep, is that even possible? How could you have not gone mad or died?"

"I don't know. It just happened. Then all the past oracles gave me the prophecy. A fire was representing lines of the prophecy. The flames, the oracles, I thought they were going to kill me. Then the woman's voice, I knew her voice. I heard her before in another dream. She told me that she always gets what she wants." I explained to him.

"So a strange woman already talked to you in your dreams before and you didn't say anything about it?"

"I wanted to put it out of my mind. She's very persistent. I think she's a goddess because she keeps talking about Olympus as if she lives there." I told him.

"That's just really weird." He said

"All this is making my head hurt. On another note, I lost Aegis!"

"When did you lose it?"

"I think I lost it getting firewood about two days ago. I need to go look for it."

"Well it's too dark to look now. I'll help you look in the morning." He offered

"Thank you. We should probably go back inside the tent before they realize we're gone." I told him.

"Yeah, you're right." We got up and started walking toward the tent.

"What the hell?" I said as soon as I went back inside. Grover had his hands at Percy's throat.

Nico crouched down and try to pry Grover's hands off.

"He won't let go. What is he doing? Grover, snap out of it." It was no use. Grover was apparently sleep-strangling.

"Wake up the others." Nico told me.

"Annabeth, wake up." I said shaking her.

"Huh? What is it?" she asked tired

"Open your eyes and see."

She wiped her eyes and opened them slowly. "So what's the problem? Oh my gods, Percy!"

"Wake up Seaweed Brain!" she said shaking him.

"He's sound asleep." Nico said

"Well get Grover off of him!"

"We can't. His hands are like, glued to Percy's neck. They both don't even realize it." I told her.

Annabeth slapped Percy but it had no affect on him. "Damn Curse of Achilles. How are we gonna wake him up? We can't throw water on him."

An idea struck me like lightning (no pun intended).

I concentrated really hard and gathered as much power and energy that I could. I lifted one finger and

"Thalia, why did you shock me?" Percy said as his eyes shot open and he gasped for breath

"It was the only way to wake you up." I shrugged. "Percy, look above you."

He glanced up saw Grover. "Holy, Poseidon!" He elbowed Grover in the stomach and Grover fell backward toward the back of the tent, almost knocking it down.

"Food." He grumbled.

"Grover, what in Hades, were you doing? You looked like you were going to strangle me! Just like the lady said." It sounded like the last sentence, he was saying to himself. I need to ask him about that later

"Ugh, that really hurt."

"An explanation would be nice. Grover why were you trying to choke Percy? Percy, how could you not feel that? I know your invincible but come on!" Annabeth interrogated.

"Annabeth, honestly, I was knocked out. Nothing could have woken me up." He told her

"What was so important, hmm?" she asked

"I'll tell you later." He said looking down.

"Grover!" I called

"What is it?" he groaned

"What were you doing?"

"What do you mean I was doing? I was sleeping until Percy elbowed me. No one can sleep on the ground in peace anymore."

"You're kidding right? Dude, you're hands were around Percy's neck. We couldn't get them off." Nico said

"Not if I was sleeping." Grover said

Nico and I looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Grover, could you be sleep-walking, or sleep-strangling?"

"He could have been possessed by a god." Nico suggested

"Not helping." I said, hoping that wasn't the case. He shrugged

"Grover you claim what you thought but it wasn't it. Without you knowing, you were trying to strangle Percy. Do you have an idea why?" Annabeth asked

"No idea. I'm sorry Perce. I didn't mean to do that." Grover apologized.

Percy rubbed his neck. "Its okay, G-man. Look let's all just get some sleep." Before he could lie back down, Annabeth hit him with a pillow.

"Seriously?" he asked. She nodded. A huge grin grew on his face. "Pillow, Fight!" He grabbed a pillow and aimed for Annabeth. Percy ended up hitting me in the face.

"Kelp Head!" I threw one at him but he ducked and hit Grover.

Nico grabbed one and hit me with it.

"How do we have enough room for this?" I said hitting him

"Does it look like I know?" he hit Annabeth

"Grover, do you seriously have a pillow pet?" Percy asked hitting Nico

"Yes." Grover answered, raising his Lady Bug pillow pet.

We burst out laughing.

"Why? Why would you have a pillow pet?" Annabeth asked

"It was a gift from Juniper."

"No comment." Nico said striking a blow at Grover

"I'm hit! I'm hit!"

"Man down!" Percy said.

"One more, is coming down now!" Annabeth said hitting Percy in the back. He stumbled and fell on top of me.

"Get off!" I yelled

"If I'm going down, you're going down with me." He said.

As I tried squeezing out, Nico snuck up on Annabeth and hit her.

"Nico!"

"Yes?" he said with a smirk.

"Percy, I'll stab you in your Achilles spot if you don't get up." I told him.

"You don't even know where it is."

"I'll try to find it." That got him. He got up immediately and sat next to Grover and Annabeth.

"In this corner, weighing," Grover's voice faltered when I glared at him," weighing an unknown amount of pounds, is the mighty Hunter of Artemis, daughter of Zeus, Thalia Grace!"

"In the other corner, too skinny to know how much he weighs, the creepy, the Ghost King, Son of Hades, Nico di Angelo!" Percy finished

"You know, you can give up now and we can all go to sleep." I told him as we moved slowly in synch in a circle.

"Nice offer but no." he tried hitting me with his pillow but I ducked.

"Nice try but, Zeus always wins." I told him raising my pillow. I threw my pillow and hit him in the gut.

"Hmph." He made that noise as he clutched his stomach. "What's in there? Rocks?"

I opened the pillow case. "Yup, told you that Zeus always wins."

"Oh my gods. Damn it, that hurts."

"This is not normal." Percy commented

"We're demigods, we were born not normal." Annabeth told him

"Ready for nappy time?" I asked him. He nodded and lied down.

"If it hurts that much, take an ambrosia square."

"No, it's fine. Now I know to never have a pillow fight with you." He said.

I laughed. "Yeah, now you know. Good night." I said

"Good night."

"Food!"

"Grover, go to sleep!"

Thoughts were tugging at the end of my mind. That goddess knows everything and is always watching. Now I have to sleep with on eye open.

_Meanwhile on Olympus_

"Thank you Apollo, for letting me tampered with your Oracle." The goddess said as she made a cruel laugh.

"Your welcome." He answered as if in a trance.

She turned in her seat to face another goddess. "And thank you, for letting me borrow your potions. I wouldn't have been able to mess with this fool without your help."

"You're welcome. But are you sure this is a good idea? The Olympians agreed to acknowledge us more and they're already watching us closely since we sided with the Titans in the war." Hecate said

The other goddess turned in her chair, facing the Plasma TV showing the demigods. "Not to worry. I have these kids wrapped around my finger. The gods wouldn't risk their children's safety. Especially, with an immortal who loves chaos as much as I do."

"What about the prophecy? You may have managed to mess with the Oracle but you cannot tamper with a prophecy itself. We all know that. Throw the apple? What danger would that lead to?" Hecate asked, growing weary of the situation at hand.

"I TOLD YOU ALREADY! They would not get the apple. This will be the first time a prophecy will be stopped. I will stop it. I shall not fall. I will be sitting right here watching or at my other location which I will leave to visit soon."

"Styx, you really have gone mad." Hecate spat

"No I have not. I am completely sane. Oh, I almost forgot. Apollo you are dismissed." She watched as the sun god left.

"Whatever, you say. Wait until you are caught. They would probably send you to Tartarus and you'll spend quality time with Kronos." Hecate said

"I'll drag you down with me. Without your magic I wouldn't have gotten this far. You're as guilty as I am. Speaking of which, I need more magic. Aphrodite might be easy to fool, with her obsession with love. It's better safe than sorry." The goddess said

"I can't do this any longer. I'm done servicing your cause."

"Back out now, and I'll tell everyone that you have been messing around with…Ares."

"That is the most ridiculous lie I have ever heard." Hecate said but she still worried

"But here, the immortals would believe every rumor they hear. What's the matter, Hecate? You look a little pale. Worried about what would happen?"

Hecate gulped. "Nothing will happen. We never had this conversation. Here's the vial. Take it." She took the potion out from her sleeve and handed it to the other goddess.

"Was that so hard? It really wasn't." She turned to the TV again. It displayed a sleeping Nico and Thalia. "Onto the next phase."

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***gasp* Who is that goddess? What is she planning to do with Thalia and Nico? What's with the random pillow fight? Have you guessed who she is yet? I'm dropping hints people. You can review on who you think she is, but I'm not revealing her identity until further near the end. I'm working on another story, I have 3 chapters already done. Might post it today. Check out the Upcoming stories section on my profile to see a summary. I need to stop talking. Byee!**


	10. Chapter 10

**It is *checks time on computer* 9:04 am & I am updating now. WHY SO EARLY? Two hour school delay and I have to go. In the meantime, I'm going to update for yu guys. My updates might be slower because I have school work and working on another story. ****I have gotten an Anonymus Review saying that chapter 9 was the same chapter. Here's my response:**

**Well, sir(or ma'am). Don't even think about using profanity because I am the Queen of Profanity. Everywhere I go I will say a cuss word and wouldn't care who's there. I'll cuss you out.**

**Now, my computer sometimes says that a story updated and when I look, the chapter isn't there. You have to give it time. Maybe that's what happened to you, or you didn't realize that you read chapter 8. SO HUSH AND READ, BECAUSE EVERYONE ELSE SAW CHAPTER 9.**

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Percy's POV

Have you ever gotten the feeling, when you wake up, you feel like you have a hangover even though you weren't drunk to begin with? I only get that feeling sometimes when I'm either:

a) At a party with friends. (Basically, the tiring ones are when the Stolls are hosting. That spells out disaster.)

b) Didn't get any sleep at all the night before.

c) Was up all night fighting monsters.

Or my personal favorite,

d) Having a major pillow war in a tent wit three other demigods and a satyr after the satyr tries to choke you.

So pretty much, I was really tired.

My whole body ached and I didn't see why. Nothing could have hurt me.

_Percy, are you feeling weak today? _A woman's voice asked in my mind. It was the same voice that spoke to me before.

_Lady, do I even know you? Can't you leave me alone? _I asked her.

_You'll know me real soon. I hope you learned all your myths; you'll need to if you want to put the pieces together. Now don't worry. I'm focused on others besides you today._ After that she was silent.

I sat at the picnic table where we usually at my meals out. Apparently I wasn't the only one who seemed worn out. Grover was seconds close to having his face to being in his oatmeal (yes, we were having that mush for breakfast today). Nico looked like death. Well, he always looked like death, but he looked as if he just experienced it. Thalia had circles under her eyes and looked impatient, as if trying hard to wait for something that was about to happen. Annabeth seemed like the only one who can maintain the balance at the table of sleeping children.

She snapped her fingers in front of Grover's face. "Stay up, Grover."

"Pan!" he yelled when he snapped back into reality.

"Now he's awake." Thalia said lazily. She yawned then stretched, almost smacking Grover and Nico in the face with her arms.

"Watch it Thalia." Nico said glaring at her.

"Oops." She said, smirking.

He looked like he didn't want to let it go, but he continued to eat his lumpy oatmeal (nice cooking, Annabeth).

They kept stealing glances at each other, as if they were talking by using facial expressions. It was like this:

_Thalia, you have to tell them._

_Not now, after I finish eating._

_You and I both know you're not going to eat that._

_True but can't it wait?_

_It's important!_

_Alright fine! Stop acting like a nagging girlfriend._

_What?_

_Oh nothing._

I knew those two so well, I was positive that's what they were thinking.

Finally, Thalia piped up. "Guys, I have something to say."

"What is it?" Annabeth asked.

"I had a dream." Thalia explained the dream she had. How all the past Oracles were there and gave her a prophecy in her dream. She explained how it felt like the flames were coming to life and ready to attack her. Then at the end, a voice spoke to her.

"Was it a woman's voice? Did she seem a bit sarcastic and seems to know your ever move?" I asked

The question surprised her. "Yes. It was a woman's voice. But she talked about Olympians as if she lives there so she's probably a goddess."

"That…prophecy. It's really strange. Throw the apple? What's that supposed to mean?" Annabeth asked.

"I don't know it's really confusing. That wasn't my first dream either. Before I had another one and she was saying how she always gets what she wants and that she was going to mess with us." Thalia said sipping orange juice.

"Great, another immortal wants to play tricks on us." I said.

"Well, we managed to stop things before. We'll be fine this time." Nico told us.

"I guess your right." Annabeth said.

"We'll figure it out. We always do." Grover said chewing on his shirt. He wasn't the only one nervous.

"I think I lost my appetite." I said, pushing my bowl aside.

"I lost it by the time I saw what it was." Thalia said.

"Hey!" Annabeth yelled in defense.

::

"We're leaving!" Thalia yelled walking toward the woods with Nico

"Where are you going?" Annabeth asked. It was around seven so we didn't expect anyone to leave the campsite right now. It was going to get dark soon.

"I have to look for something. Nico's going to help me. We'll be back soon." She ran toward the path she went a few days ago when she went to get firewood and disappeared.

Thalia's POV

We walked down the path I used a few days back. Hopefully Aegis was still there and I did not come here for nothing. But when we came, the trouble began.

I looked through the bushes and on the ground. I didn't know what Nico was talking about when he started asking questions.

"Why would you lose it around here?" Nico asked

"Hey it's not like I wanted to. I need Aegis. So help me look." I said searching the ground.

"Thalia, do you see where you are right now?"

"Does it matter? No. What matters is that you need to be looking."

"Thalia, look up."

"Aha! I found it! No thanks to you." I announced, holding up my bracelet it the air." She looked up and my face fell. We were high up. _Really high up._ Well to me we were. What did I think when I was here last time?

_I continued walking further down the path. It started feeling a little more elevated. _

Crap! How could I not notice that it was elevated because I was walking higher and higher? I must have been really distracted.

Even worse? We were near a cliff.

"Oh my gods! Oh my gods!" I yelled startled

"Thalia calm down."

"This is crazy! Holy Zeus! Get me out of here!" I started yelling. I was about to lose it up there. Every time I said a word, I took a step back. I had a big fear of heights. I could not be here. I would just start to go crazy. I can't focus this high up. I seriously needed to get out of there.

"Thalia, look out!"

"Huh?" I went too far. I was loosing my balance and was starting to fall.

"Grab my hand!" Nico yelled

I did what he said but that made things worse. I pulled him toward me and we started tumbling down.

That's it. We are so screwed and it's my entire fault. I don't think Dad's going to get me out of this one.

_Meanwhile back at the campsite…_

"Where are Thalia and Nico? They've been almost gone for two hours." Grover said

"Yeah I'm starting to get worried." I said. Something wasn't right here.

"Should we go look for them?" Annabeth asked

Then the thought struck my mind. Now I knew why I was getting a bad feeling. Thalia told us about this earlier.

"Grab your flashlights and let's start looking. _Two demigods will be lost._ The prophecy already started."

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**Oh. Snap. What happened to Thalia and Nico? Is this the goddess's fault? Oh goodness. I was thinking about making a sequel for this story when it's over. I already have an idea for it(I'm not jumping ahead. I pretty much have the ending for this one planned out). Would you guys like a sequel? I'm having fun with this story and would like to continue. What do you guys think?**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks for your reviews guys. I want atleast, hopefully, over 100 reviews when this story's over. There's atleast a few chapters left. But every loves reviews don't they? I do. They motivate me. So people who are viewing (the story traffic says you're watching) it would be great to hear your opinion.**

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Thalia's POV

Falling off of a cliff should be the worst thing possible for me, with my fear of heights and all. Nico and I probably fell several feet barreling through the air.

I know what you're probably thinking. _Your dad's Zeus so shouldn't he have done something with the air to break your fall?_ You would expect that. But it wasn't those types of cliffs that let you fall into a river full of piranhas and sharp rocks. We were tumbling toward another patch of land all the way down. So he probably thought, _eh, they'll be alright._

What was I basically doing the whole time? Screaming on the top of my lungs. People say to extend your arms and legs instead of flailing around the whole time. Did I do that? I tried, wasn't working out, so I continued to flail. That didn't really help but nothing helps when you have cold summer air being blasted in your face. If only, Batman was here or if only, I had a parachute.

The good news, well not for Nico but for me, is that Nico broke my fall. He fell on the ground first, his back hitting the ground. Ouch, that's got to hurt. It hurts worse since I fell on top of him. He's lucky I'm not fat.

The bad news is that I fell on top of him. He broke my fall didn't he? He did but I fell _on top of him,_ accidently causing my lips to crash against his for a mere six seconds. WHAT THE HELL! Nico's eyes widened his face full of shock and gotten paler if that's even possible for him._ What have I done?_ I thought. I started hyperventilating. Did really just break my oath? Did I really just break it? Crap. Crap! CRAP!

"Thalia, you need to calm down." Nico's words sounded like static to me. Something you just couldn't comprehend.

"This isn't good. This isn't good." I repeated while pacing.

How long have I even been a hunter, three years?

"Thalia, get a grip!" Nico yelled as he grabbed my wrists to make me stop. My eyes widened. His words weren't static anymore. It was very commanding for a 13 year old. It was like he was using one of Aphrodite's powers: Charmspeak. Very convincing and persuasive it was. You just had no choice but to listen. That, I did.

"It's not like your gonna get kick out of the hunt Thals." I almost believe him. Almost.

"But I kissed a boy. I kissed you! I broke my vow!" I told him.

He shook his head. "Artemis and the huntresses didn't witness this so they'll never know you broke it. Which, you didn't. You simply landed on top of me after _falling off a cliff. _Now you really would have broken your oath if you enjoyed it but it was like six seconds. Enough time to breathe in air. Not enough for full kiss. There's really nothing to worry about Thalia." The whole time he was talking, I noticed something.

His cheeks were a bright rosy pink. Were my cheeks a bit rosy? I wonder if that was his first kiss. If it, still counts as a kiss. Then I realized that almost-kiss was my first too. You'd expect it to be Luke. Yeah, well that never happened. The idiot didn't have the guts to do it. Anyways how perfect. My almost first kiss was with a thirteen year old boy who I usually refer to as my little cousin. Perfect.

"I suppose you're right Nico. Well, let's go make a fire. I think we're going to be stuck out here for awhile."

::

We made a small make-shift campsite. Nico wasn't too happy about burning his twenty dollar bill as kindling. Well, I wasn't happy about being lost in the wilderness so we both don't get what we want.

I lay down on the ground, looking up at the night sky.

"We don't have any food. We don't have any water because we don't have a pot to boil it in first." I complained.

"Looking at the stars isn't going to help." He said sitting by the fire.

I stared at a certain constellation in the sky, a constellation of a young female huntress.

"If Zoë was here, she would have ranted on how badly I messed up." I said, laughing a bit to myself. Even though we didn't get along too well, things turned out good in the end.

Nico looked up and made a face. "She would probably blame me because I'm a boy."

"Yeah, she probably would." I sighed.

"Thalia, are you still thinking about earlier?" Nico asked. It's like he's inside my mind.

"Yeah, I am."

"I already told you-"

"Told me what? That it wasn't an actual kiss? Well, the hunters take this seriously and would say it was. I have to be worried. The gods figure things out one way or another." I told him. Nico sighed and lay down next to me on the grass.

"Thalia, if you get in trouble, I'll take the blame."

I sat up. "Why would you do that? We both didn't get any pleasure from that sort-of kiss. You said it yourself…wait. Nico…do you like me?" I asked him.

Under the firelight, I saw his cheeks flare up. That was a sign. "You do don't you?" I asked again.

He slowly nodded. "A little bit, Thalia."

I didn't really know what to say. "Isn't that incest?"

I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was being really serious. "The gods don't have DNA remember? So we're not technically related."

Nico did have a point there. "Well what do you like about me? What do we have in common?"

"Well, what's in common is easy. We're both powerful demigods with powerful fathers. We both were out of commission with the world during a certain time of our lives. We both have somewhat dark personalities; have the same sense of style, and like the same taste in music, including Green Day." He looked like he didn't want to speak about this.

"I'm listening." I said.

"What I like about you…well you're a very beautiful girl. You're a great fighter. You don't care about what people think. You're tough and you care about you're friends. You're funny, smart, and a great person to hang out with."

I was at loss with words. Did he really just say that? I started pacing again. "Nico…that was really sweet. I mean you're a great kid. But I'm older than you are and I'm a hunter, a lieutenant."

"I know. That's why I didn't want to say anything. Let me guess. You don't like me back?" I almost didn't hear that question.

_Of course you didn't honey. But you know you like him. Then that little crush would turn into love. A tragic love story!_ A voice said inside my head. That voice, I recognized.

_What do you want Aphrodite?_ I asked.

_I'm just watching over you two. Don't break little di Angelo's heart. Such a sweet boy! I'm going to have fun helping you two in your long, journey of love! _She squealed in a giddy voice.

_What in Hades are you talking about Aphrodite? _

_Being a hunter has ruined things for you. You joined the hunt because Luke broke you're heart and you wanted avoid the prophecy_. _Well, Luke is dead, Percy dealt with the prophecy, and now you have Nico. This is your chance._

_That may have been my reason I joined the hunt, _I began_, but I'm not quitting for a boy._

_We both know you like Nico. _She said.

_No, I don't!_ I said, my voice, or thoughts, getting higher.

_Love conquers all. Watch your step._

_Watch my-_

"Ow!" I was so busy arguing with Aphrodite, I forgot I was pacing. I tripped over something. It looked like a manhole lid.

"Thalia, are you okay?" Nico asked next to me.

"My ankle hurts a bit, but it's nothing bad. I tripped over something." I pointed over to where I tripped. He knelt down and examined it.

"It looks like a lid. Help me lift this up."

I limped over to where he was. We both grabbed an end and lifted the lid up.

"It's a…dark tunnel." I said after peering down.

"Wait a minute. Listen carefully. Do you hear that?"

I listened for a moment and understood what he meant. "I can hear music and laughter."

He put the lid back on. "That was weird. I don't even want to know what was down there."

"I don't want to know either." I yawned.

"You should get some sleep. I'll take first watch." He told me.

"I don't need any sleep." I yawned again

"You're yawning and you're eyes are closing. I'll wake you up if I need to." He said, helping me lie down.

As soon as my body met the ground, I was out like a light.

_Percy, Annabeth, Grover find us. Please find us…anyone._

** I guess this was sort of a filler chapter. A FILLER WITH THALICO! I'm surprised at myself for even writing this chapter like this. Ugh. The next chapter's in Percy's POV. When are they going to meet the extra person who helps? Who are they? What does Aphrodite has to do with any of this?**


	12. Chapter 12

**I'm back! I have a new chapter for you. School was ended early because of snow. It was supposed to be closed in the first place! Silly Catholic school people. Anyways, thanks for your reviews. I hope for more in the future for they been making me feel better about my writing skills. Less revews make me feel like I'm not doing a good job. Enough of me rambling, scroll down and read already!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO, or IKEA, and other copy righted stuff**

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Percy's POV

It was a whole hour searching the woods but there was no sign of Nico or Thalia. We decided to go to the nearest ranger station.

"Percy, are you it's a good idea to go to mortals for help?" Annabeth asked.

"The ranger would know the place better than any of us. All we have to say is that our friends got lost. It's a good, simple plan." I told her.

"I hate your plans." She mumbled to herself.

"I heard that. Stop being such a wise ass." The last part I said under my breath but she heard me.

She smacked me upside the head. "Shut it, Percy."

We had flashlights but it was still really dark. Once in awhile we would step in mud or trip over a log. I think I felt a snake slither over my Nikes. Wandering in the darkness was taking forever. Where was that damn ranger station?

::

A half hour later, we finally came across it. It looked like a very large log cabin from the outside. We stepped inside, and I still got that vibe, at least a little.

The left side of the room had a fireplace with a bear head mounted over it. On the floor were those white IKEA rugs that look as soft as a pillow pet. Most of the furniture was wooden. The coffee table was wooden. The seating except for some sofas were wooden. I saw a vending machine toward the back and a plasma screen hung up on the wall. I don't know what movie was being shown. All I saw was some teenager with lightning in his hand in front of people who reminded me of the gods. I'd hate to be that guy. **(1)**

I saw the ranger desk and walked up to it.

"Excuse me, uh, ranger? We need help." They turned around in their chair.

"Help? Ha. I'm the one who needs rescuing from this place. I'm no ranger either."

It was a girl around Nico's age so she was either 12 or 13. She had piercing dark eyes that looked black. Her hair was the same color. She wore a t-shirt that said "It's T-Shirt Time" and had giant blue headphones around her neck but it didn't look connected to anything. The girl had knee-high Converse on and her feet were on the desk. Why do people buy those? Wouldn't that take a while to tie?

She had a glare sent our way. I guess we interrupted her movie. But when she looked up at me, her eyed widened.

"Crap." she said.

Then I realized who she was. "Sophia?" I asked.

"Hey, Percy."

Annabeth walked forward. "Sophia, from the Apollo cabin? Aren't you supposed to be at camp?"

"I am. I didn't feel like coming this summer because I assumed it would be boring with the war over and all." Sophia answered.

"So what are you doing out here?" I asked

"Ugh, my brother took some stupid ranger job and my mom sent me out here with him. I would be at the mall right now." she complained.

I blinked. Wow she complains a lot. "Are you even safe here? Where's your brother?" Grover asked.

"You guys ask a lot of questions. My brother left to help some lady because she lost her keys or something. He couldn't protect me anyways. He's a mortal. A clear-sighted one, but he's still a mortal. I can protect myself. See that bear head over there? It's the trick of the Mist. Figure out what it really is." Sophia said.

I looked at the bear again. I stated to see it clearly. It was… a hydra head. "Is that a hydra head?" I asked her.

"Yup, last time it'll come through my territory." she said stroking her bow. "So what's the problem?"

"You know Thalia and Nico?" she nodded. "They're gone. We tried to find them but we couldn't. So we came to the ranger station." I explained.

She nodded. "Coming to mortals for help to find half-bloods? I believe that's Goat Boy's job. I could help you look for them if you want though." Then she jumped in the chair as if something pinched her.

"I thought of something quicker." Sophia said.

"What?" we asked in unison.

She looked as us as if we were idiots. "We simply Iris-message them."

::

"I wish I thought of that! See, Percy. This is why I don't like your plans." Annabeth rambled on.

"Alright, settle down. Drachma, please." Grover handed her one

"Thank you. O goddess, please accept our offering," Sophia threw in the drachma, "Thalia Grace and Nico di Angelo, somewhere in Hell's Forest."

The mist started to shimmer and form an image. We saw a sleeping Thalia and Nico sitting next to her, still awake.

"Nico!" I called out to the Iris-message.

He lifted his head up and looked straight at us. "Guys, thank the gods!"

"Where are you?" Grover asked.

"I don't know. We fell off a cliff and "

Annabeth broke in. "Fell off a cliff? Somehow you miraculous survived that fall?"

"It's not like we fell into a death trap. There was another set of land all the way below. We just fell right down." He said. He started shaking Thalia to wake up.

"What?" she grumbled.

"Wake up." Nico said.

She opened her eyes and looked around until she saw the Iris-message.

"Percy! Grover! Annabeth! Little girl?" Thalia asked confused.

"I have a name you know." Sophia mumbled.

"This is Sophia from the Apollo Cabin. We found her at the ranger station." I jumped in.

They all greeted each other.

"We found a tunnel." Nico told us.

"A tunnel?" Annabeth asked confused

"It was a long, deep, dark tunnel. We don't know where it leads. We didn't go in but we heard music and laughter. Not funny-ha-ha laughter but evil laughter." Nico said.

At that sentence, Sophia paled.

"Sophia, what's wrong? Do you know what's down there?" I asked her.

She seemed frightened. "She…that one is down there. She will try to kill you. I cannot go down there again!"

"Who? Who is she?"

"I can't say her name here. After all, she is a goddess." Oh gods.

"A goddess?"

"Yes! I know what's down there but it's dangerous."

"I defeated Kronos last summer," I reminded her. "I know dangerous."

"The prophecy started, you know that right?" Thalia asked

"We do."

"Must of the lines are true. They happened already. We need to find the extra help. I think its Sophia." She said.

"Me?" Sophia asked startled

"Yes, you. Sophia, you helped us with the Iris-message, you have your bow ready, and you know what's down that tunnel. We need your help to finish the prophecy."

"I promised myself I wouldn't go near there. But obviously I'm part of this prophecy. I really hate quests. But I'll help." Sophia agreed.

We didn't say anything on how she'll be turned to frost. However that's going to happen.

"Percy, remembered the path we went down near the campsite? Farther down the path, when it get's higher up, there was a cliff. You could try climb down it with ropes or fall like we did. It's the only way you'll find us."

"We don't have that type of gear, Nico. Sophia, is there another way there?" Annabeth asked

Sophia gulped. "Yes. We have to hurry. We need to finish this up at least before midnight. She likes the wicking hour."

::

"Don't be so slow! We have to find your friends." She yelled, jumping over mossy logs.

"We're trying to keep up. You look like you're trying to win a foot-race." Grover told her, wheezing a bit.

"It's a foot-race against time. We're almost there so man up or goat up, or just whatever."

It was fifteen minutes ago after we left the log cabin. Sophia was really worried. She started running faster than I ever could. Well, little kids have more energy. Obviously there was a goddess down that tunnel, and we would have to fight her.

"There they are!" Annabeth yelled. We saw a campfire and two figures standing by it.

"Over here!" They called out to us.

After running like we were being chased by bears again, we sat down taking a breather.

"Thanks gods, you guys are here. We've been out here for almost four hours." Thalia said.

"I brought some ambrosia and nectar in case you guys needed it." Sophia took out the food of the gods from her backpack and handed some to Thalia and Nico.

"Thanks."

"We have to see that tunnel." Annabeth said, clutching her knife.

"It's over here." Sophia got up and pushed some leaves aside. She lifted something that I guess was a lid and placed it next to her.

"It's still the same." She whispered to herself.

"Are you okay?" Nico asked

When Sophia looked up, she looked as if she aged under a minute. She also looked sad and scared, "We have to see what's down there. We have to get ride of her. Follow me." She grabbed her backpack and her bow and jumped down into the hole.

Everyone else looked at me as if I thought it was okay. I nodded and we descended to our doom. Is that dramatic enough?

::

"Stupid bats." Thalia commented as a few bats flew over us.

"They are the least of our problems." Sophia said, flashing her flashlight straight ahead.

"When was the last time you wee down here?" Grover asked. She didn't answer.

We continued walking farther into the tunnel. Lanterns started appearing.

"I can hear the music again." Nico said

"We're almost there." Sophia said. We turned one sharp corner and my eyes widened.

If you can't create an elegant room out of a dirt tunnel, think again. The room was very elegant. It had white, polished flooring. There was a small, but pretty fountain on the side of the room. There were only two doorways. One was covered with a gold silk curtain. The other was larger and had two French doors. Large painting were hung on walls. Some I recognized. There was a crystal chandelier that was so bright, i had to avert my eyes. I could go on about the room but here is what struck me.

In the center of the room, was a red carpet leading up to two small steps. On top of those steps was a case that held a golden apple inside its casing. Next to it, was a golden throne, already occupied by a woman. She had long blonde hair with a tiara on top and blue eyes. She was wearing an old fashioned Greek dress, a diamond necklace and had stilletto boots on. Her manicured fingers drummed a beat on the throne. She didn't look a day over twenty.

I stepped forward. "Who are you?"

Sophia looked like she was ready to explode. "I'll tell you who. She's -"

The woman interrupted. "I can introduce herself." Her voice was so familiar. Then I realized, it was the goddess speaking through my thoughts, the one in Thalia's dreams.

"It's you." I stuttered.

She cocked her head to the side a bit. "Very good. But you do not know of my name. That's alright. But minor gods aren't well known though I should be. I am Eris, goddess of Discord and Strife."

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**You're guess were right! It was Eris. :O What is she planning to do? Random OC I put in there. What is Sophia's past with Eris? Why is Grover barely mentioned? Tune into Friday for chapter! Only afew more chapters, maybe 3, 4, or 5 until this story is over.**

**(1) Guy with lightning infront of gods? Reference to the Percy Jackson Movie. lol. Too bad Percy didn't stick around to watch the movie.**


	13. Chapter 13

**101 Reviews total? Let's party! xD Wait, no party. It's snowing. I see kids making a snowman that suspiciously looks Asian. It's like, 11 inches out here? I don't know. But that didn't stop me from finishing this chapter. Really random. But there is a message. Something that is mentioned has to do with the sequel...**

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Percy's POV

"Eris?" Thalia asked.

"Why yes, that is me. I'm a goddess who likes to cause trouble. I guess that it why Ares and I are best friends."

At that comment, I couldn't help but snort. But that didn't go unnoticed.

Eris stepped down from her throne, her boots making a click-clack sound as she walked toward me. Her blue eyes seemed to be peering through my soul.

"I already know your story. He told me that you defeated him when you were only twelve. Not taking defeat very well is what we have in common. I hope I don't have to face you off."

As she said this, her finger, traced up the side up my neck, making me shiver.

I looked at Annabeth through the corner of my right eye. She looked like she wanted to stab Eris in the eye. Eris turned to see what I was looking at and saw Annabeth's expression.

"Interesting." She commented. Eris removed her hands from me (thank gods) and walked over to Thalia and Nico.

"I can just tell something is going on between you two through the air around you." She told them

Nico seemed very annoyed by that.

"What are you talking about Eris?" Thalia asked

"Don't try to act so innocent now. You felt that way for a while. You should be thankful that Aphrodite and I sped up the process." Eris told her.

Nico and Thalia's eyes widened. "You caused that?" Nico asked.

Eris looked at her nails, bored. "I caused many things. It's nice having some fun once in a while. So kids, don't try to cross me. We wouldn't want Artemis involved, right?"

A noise came from Thalia. It almost sounded like a growl. "This isn't over." She gritted her teeth.

"You're right, it isn't." She agreed

Eris started walking toward Sophia but stopped at Grover. "Satyr, why are you chewing on your shirt?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

He looked up. "Bah-ah-a I'm sorry, La-Lady Eris. I just get a little nervous around immortals."

"Well you are munching awfully loud and it's very annoying." Eris said.

"Sorry." He apologized

She moved along to Sophia. "Sophia."

"Eris." Sophia spat.

"I see you're back." Eris smirked.

"I don't want to be back. I'm only here to help them." She pointed to us.

"You're so easily manipulated. Just. Like. Your. Father."

"Shut up!" Sophia yelled.

Eris left out a cold, haughty laugh. She snapped her fingers and a wine glass appeared out of thin air. She took a sip and it disappeared.

"Oh, I'm being a rude hostess." She walked over to a table near the fountain and came back with a platter of…flowers?

"It's edible, their not real flowers. My friends from the Lotus Hotel/Casino's signature dish, the Lotus Flower." Something about her voice changed. It sounded sweet and persuasive. Now I wanted to try one.

She saw the look on my face and her eyes twinkled. Later, I'll find out it wasn't it a good way.

"Care for a Lotus Flower, Perseus?"

"Lotus Hotel? I don't think so." Nico said his voice sounding strained.

Eris turned toward him. "Are you sure? They're very delicious."

You can see his walls breaking. "I suppose so." He reached for one.

We all grabbed one except Sophia. She looked really annoyed.

"Sophia, just try one." I said. I was about to eat one but Sophia knocked it out of my hand. "Don't eat the Lotus Flower."

She turned to Annabeth. "When the time comes, grab the apple."

Sophia took her earrings off and turned to Grover last. "Hold my earrings and don't eat them."

"Eris, it's about to go down." She said.

"Oh, really?" Eris asked, setting the platter down.

"Mhmm." What happened next shocked me. Sophia kicked Eris in the chest. Eris stumbled back and fell on the floor. "You dare fight a goddess?" She asked, getting up.

Sophia blew a strand of her from her face. "Why not?"

"Very well. The Ancient Laws state that the hero must make the first move before the goddess does. It is too late to change that big mistake." Then out of nowhere Eris threw a hand grenade at Sophia. Sophia dodged it before her head was blown off. There was no damage in the room. I guess it was charmed to stay intact.

"What the heck was that?" Sophia yelled

"I live for chaos. Don't you think dangerous toys like that cause chaos?" Eris asked, grabbing another one.

"You call that a toy?" She notched an arrow and aimed for Eris. Right before she was going to release it, Eris disappeared.

"Where'd she go?"

Then Eris was heard but not scene. "Do you really expect to defeat an immortal? I don't think so."

Sophia fell on the ground, as if something or _someone_ tackled her. "Get off of me!"

Eris reappeared. "You were such a weak, horrible servant. Give up now and goodbye consequences."

"No way!" Sophia elbowed Eris and ran toward the apple. "How do you open this case?"

"Get away from my apple!" Eris was going to follow Sophia but remembered we were still here.

"Go ahead, demigods. Eat the Lotus Flower." Eris said, her voice sounding different again. I had the urge to take a bite.

"NO!" Sophia yelled.

We all took a bite and I started to feel a little tired.

"Quiet you! Khione, freeze her." Eris commanded.

Through the doorway with the silk curtain came another goddess. She was pale, as white as snow, but had silky black hair. She had a silver dress on with matching heels.

"After this I have to return to Boreas. I'm not going to get caught." She raised one finger and zapped Sophia. Sophia screamed as she began to freeze.

After I gained enough energy after eating the whole Lotus Flower, I looked up. Standing before us was an ice statue of a frozen Sophia, her bow in hand and fear in her eyes. After that Khione turned into a miniature snow storm and disappeared.

"She is not a problem anymore. Rest up demigods." Eris chimed before I fell asleep.

::

_I was in a meadow. It should have been nice but the sky was gray and the flowers were wilted. Forest animals were nowhere to be seen._

_In the middle of it all was Eris. But this time she looked fifteen and she was plucking flower petals. As if she sensed my presence, she looked up._

"_So you're here." She said_

"_Eris what is you're problem? You tried to kill and froze Sophia! What happened to us after we ate the Lotus Flower?" I threw questions at her._

"_I'm sorry about your friend. After you ate the flower you fell asleep. When you wake up you will not be where you were." Eris said._

"_Sorry? You're sorry? You tried to kill her."_

"_Actually that wasn't me." She said. Now I was confused._

"_What do you mean?" I asked_

"_What did the prophecy say about a goddess?"_

"_It said a goddess gone mad has to fall." I told her, not knowing where this was going._

"_Exactly, I've gone completely insane. Right now, I'm currently sane. But there's not much sanity left." She said._

"_I don't get it."_

"_Of course you don't. You see, Percy. During the war, once the minor gods sided with the Titans, I grew power hungry I guess. For the millionth time, I live for chaos. Now there is too much chaos. See this meadow? That's what your world is going to turn into with all the chaos. You say gods won't fade when their realm is fine? Well this is crazy. We can't be like 'I'm going to make this guy have war with that guy'. We can only control it. But you mortals are out of control." Eris started to explain._

"_What does this have to do with me?" I asked her._

"_It's tiring trying to get you mortals under control. My energy is wasted trying to maintain the chaos. I was going to show the gods that I'm tired of this. They are causing us too much problems. They need to get off their thrones and do something. They'd listen if their children were tied into the plan. Another thing, I've grown power hungry. I still believe the minor gods can do a better job, and make things better." She continued._

"_But my wish was for the minor gods to be recognized." I reminded her._

"_I know. I thank you for that. But like I said, I'm the sane part of Eris. The one you dealt with is completely insane. She can not turn back to normal. Even Dionysus, the god of madness, can't fix her. She finally snapped. I exist in the dream realm."_

"_That doesn't make sense." I said._

"_Sadly, it doesn't. The pressure, the stress has made me lose it all. You have to stop me from destroying everything. She has a plan and it isn't good."_

"_What's the plan?"_

"_It is against the Ancient Laws to help heroes with their quest. I can leave you with a clue though. When you get the chance, steal the apple and use it. Then pray to the Olympians." She said, touching my cheek. She looked sad. Very sad._

"_I keep hearing about the apple. Why is this apple so important?" I asked_

"_Think of my myth. You have to think of my myth to know what to do." She said_

"_This is too much. Why is it always me?"_

"_Because you're the one we've been waiting for. Percy, the world is upside down. I'm the only immortal who noticed something bad is going to happen. The gods will realize also but it will affect you."_

"_What does that even mean?"_

"_I wish I could tell you. Remember what I said. Grab the apple. You must wake." Eris told me._

"_Eris…"_

_She kissed my cheek. "You have to stop Eris at all costs. Wow, it's confusing talking in third person. But seriously you have to stop her. It's the only way to save everyone. Now wake up already!"_

::

I woke up with a start. So apparently I had to face crazy Eris again. The apple in the case was going to help with that battle. Is it even possible for a goddess to snap?

I was going to stand up when I realized I couldn't. My wrists were chained to the walls so I was hung. I looked around and saw everyone was the same way.

We were in a dungeon.

We were all in the dungeon with nothing to do. Sophia warned us not to eat the Lotus Flower but we didn't listen. So now she was a block of ice while we were in chains.

"Ninety-nine bottles of pop on the wall. Ninety-nine bottles of pop. You take one down. Pass it around. Ninety-eight bottles of pop on the wall." Nico started singing. It was obvious that he was in a bad mood if he started singing.

"That poor girl, she's completely frozen." Thalia said with a depressed voice.

"It said it was going to happen in the prophecy." Annabeth reminded her.

"Could she be turned back?" I asked

"Possibly, we would need godly help to speed up the process."

"Well the only godly help we have locked us up."

"Speaking of gods, who was that other goddess?" Nico asked.

"Khione, the goddess of snow. She isn't known well because everyone lived in warm regions." Annabeth answered.

"That makes sense." Grover said.

"What did Eris mean when she was talking to you two?" I asked Thalia and Nico.

They looked at each other. Nico sighed.

"When we fell off the cliff…" Thalia began

"We kissed." Nico finished

I looked at him, surprised.

"Way to go Nico." I said

"Shut up Percy." Thalia told me

"Yeah, it was Aphrodite and Eris' fault." Nico said

"Why would those two work with each other?" I asked

"I doubt it was by choice." Thalia said

"She might tell Artemis. We are so screwed." Nico said. He banged his head on the wall.

"It'll be okay." Annabeth said. She didn't sound so sure.

"Guys, I had a dream. It's important." I said.

I explained to everyone what happened in my dream. Well, except the part with Eris kissing me. I didn't need my girlfriend to go mad either.

"She could be trying to trick us." Thalia said.

"But even she said we had to get the apple to stop her. She claimed that she lost her mind. The sane part doesn't even exist anymore. She said she only lives in the dream realm." I told her.

"Dream realm? Does that even exist?" Grover asked

"Well Morpheus is the god of dreams so there should be a dream realm." I said.

"But what did she mean when she said the world is upside down and it's the mortals fault? That something is going to happen to the gods and to us?" Nico asked

"I don't know. But I don't like it." Annabeth said.

"Well right now we can't play the Trust Who game. We have to find a way to get out of here." I said. I was looking for an exit until I spotted a skeleton.

"Is that a skeleton?" Annabeth yelled

"A skeleton?" Nico perked up. He started chanting words in Ancient Greek. Purple mist surrounded the skeleton. It began to slowly stand up.

"You did not just do that." Thalia said. Nico grinned.

"What is your name?" Nico asked the skeleton. It made some noises I didn't understand. You can't really understand the dead that well.

"Okay Munro, please undo the chains." He commanded

"He doesn't have the key." Grover said.

"But he can pick the lock." Nico said. As if on cue, the skeleton walked up to Nico. Munro pulled one of his fingers off and started to pick the lock. We heard it click and Nico landed on his feet. He rubbed his wrists.

"Man, I need some lotion or something. Munro, unlock the rest of them."

Five minutes later we were all free.

"Alright, that's over with. But how are we going to open this door?" Grover asked.

"Guys, I have a plan." Annabeth said.

* * *

**The skeleton was named after Munro Chambers. lol. Oh jeez, I think I've gone crazy. There is an insane and sane Eris. The sane onedoesn't exist anymore. Wow. Sophia is frozen. Khione came out of nowhere. I suppose she's BFF with Eris or something. Annabeth has a plan! Does it involve that dreaded golden apple? WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? Am I confusing you now? Good, that is the idea. The point. I want you to think. AHAHA Review.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey guys, thanks for your reviews! I really appreciate them! I have a poll on my profile, that asks what do you think is going to happen when the story ends. It would be great if you vote. It would only take only 40 seconds of your time. Maybe less. So after you review check it out. There are probably two or three chapters left. *gasp* It's almost over!**

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Thalia's POV

"Annabeth, are you sure this is going to work?" I asked

"It has to work. If not…we're going to stay here forever. What time is it?" she asked

Grover looked at his watch. "Eleven thirty. Sophia said we have to stop Eris before midnight."

"Then we don't have time to waste. Annabeth, I hope you're right about those seashells." I said

"I'm sure, Thalia. It's the same time of soil, right Percy?"

He lifted his head up. "Huh? Yeah, it's the same type of soil. I'm surprised they didn't a layer of concrete. But, yeah, it's the same. You just scoop the soil up. If you see the petrified shells, throw it on the ground and water should spout from the ground."

"We need enough water to have enough pressure against the door." Nico reminded him.

"I hope you guys are good swimmers then."

"I'm not!" Grover jumped in.

Percy smiled, "It'll be okay G-man…hopefully."

"Okay, enough with the chit-chat." I broke in, "Let's start digging."

Annabeth got on her knees and began to dig. "It would be so much easier with a shovel."

"Well, we're fresh out of luck." I told her. I began digging different holes, trying to see if I can find those shells. Now I know how a dog feels.

"Hey, I found one!" Grover announced.

"Great, let's try to find at least four more." Percy said.

A few minutes later, we gather enough shells from the dirt.

"Each of you, grab one." Percy said, holding his hand out with shells. We each took one.

"On the count of three, throw them down. The water should being to burst from the ground. I'll will the water to go stronger. That's when you begin to hold your breath. The pressure from all the water should burst the door open and out we go." He explained.

Annabeth stood beside him. "There are probably monsters out there waiting for us. We have to be prepared for what monster and how are we going to defeat them. We could have simply shadow traveled out of here, but we would have to deal with a sleeping Nico."

Nico blushed at that a little. "Sorry, about that."

I smiled a bit. "It's not you're fault. Anyways, just to remind you, Nico and I don't have weapons. I only have Aegis for protection."

"I guess you'll have to use natural fighting skills. But you're a natural fighter Thalia." Annabeth said.

"Thank you."

"Well, I don't know about you Thalia, but I, myself, have a weapon." Nico said.

We all gave him the look. "You're kidding, right?"

He lifted up the edge of his shirt to show a Stygian sword.

"You had you're sword the whole time and you said nothing?" I asked

"I forgot." Nico answered

"How do you forget about a never mind. Just, never mind." I said

"When finish off those monsters, how will we know which way to go?" Grover asked.

"We're going to have to guess. I'm sure there's a map of this place somewhere." Percy said.

"Now about that stupid apple; apparently it's important. What was Eris' myth?" Nico asked

It took a moment for Annabeth to answer.

"Eris was the only goddess that wasn't invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis. She turned up anyway. When she was refused admittance, in rage she threw her Golden Apple of Discord amongst the goddess that read 'to the fairest and most beautiful'. Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera all claimed it. Their rivalry brought about events that lead to the Trojan War. That apple made them fight with each other and start a war. "

"She's pretty much nothing without that apple to do her bidding." Percy concluded

"Remind me to never eat apples ever again." Nico commented

"We'll continue the plan when we get there. Right now we have to go. On three, throw the seashells. One…two…three!" Annabeth yelled.

We threw our shells down ad held our breath. Multiple waterspouts began to grow.

"More! Get much larger!" Percy commanded. The water did his will. Little by little, the room began filling up with seawater.

Right before I was about to die from having no oxygen entering my lungs, Percy made an air bubble for all five of us.

"Thank gods." I said, breathing heavily.

"I don't know how long I would have lasted." Grover said, coughing up some water.

"Guys, look!" Percy pointed towards the door. It was firm but it wouldn't last long. It couldn't hold back this much water.

POP!

The door burst and the water followed its way out the doorway.

"We have to find those French doors. That's where Eris and the apple are waiting for us." Annabeth said.

"Not ssssssso fassssst demigodssssss." A slithering voice said. We turned to face four dracaena

"Want the big three kids to chase most of them out of here?" I asked

"Good idea." Grover said.

"C'mon guys." I said. Percy, and Nico followed as we ran down the hall. They began chasing us with their stupid snake bodies.

"Maybe a little shock won't hurt?" I pointed three fingers at the monsters. I sent a wave of electric shocks through their bodies. They shuttered and twitched a bit before collapsing on the ground. They were still dazed

"I love shocking people. Percy, Nico, care to do the honors?" I asked

"Of course." Percy said. He brought out his pen and pulled the cap off. It transformed to his favorite sword, Riptide. Nico took out his nameless black sword and they both slashed through the monsters. Their essence returned to Tartarus where they belonged.

"So how are we going to fight Eris?" I asked

"Simple. Use our awesome demigod powers." Percy answered

"Let's just hope that's enough." Nico said.

As soon as he said that, Annabeth and Grover rushed toward us.

"How did it go?" Percy asked

"Fine. I guess monsters don't like cursed knives are tin cans." Annabeth said.

"Let's find an exit. Now." Grover said

We ran up a long spiral staircase. Apparently we were in the basement level. Can this go any deeper since we were technically underground already? Once we made it to the top of the staircase, it wasn't the end of our troubles. There were so many hallways to go through. It was like a never-ending labyrinth.

After about eighteen minutes, we came across elegant French doors.

"This is it. You guys ready?" Annabeth asked

We all nodded.

She kicked the door open. We walked in together, our blood pumping.

"Eris!" Percy yelled.

Eris was lounging on her throne, filing her nails. She looked up and narrowed her eyes.

"So you all escaped? I knew I should have gotten better security." She muttered.

"We're going to battle you Eris, five against one. You have to pay." I told her.

She smirked. "Spoken like a true fighter. But you see, I'm the goddess of discord, strife, lawlessness; I think you get the point. The thing is, I always win. It's a lost cause, hon."

"We will defeat you." Nico said.

Eris had a thoughtful look. "Okay, fine. But I warned you." She snapped her fingers and a switchblade appeared in the air. Then it turned into a regular kitchen knife. Finally, it transformed into a celestial bronze sword. Her apple floated into her hand.

" I suppose I'm ready. You wanted to fight, yes? So be it." Then she lunged.

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**Honestly, i disliked this chapter. I didn't have that much time to finished. Now we know Annabeth's plan, we know Eris' backstory, and a fight scene is coming up next! I wasted four hours of my life doing punishment homework I didn't have to do. Isn't that great? Anyways, remeber to review and check out the poll. Love ya! Btw, I looked through the story traffic and the numbers are dropping each chapter! That breaks my heart. Do you dislike this story?**


	15. Chapter 15

**Sorry I didn't update Wednesday! Day off. Here's the new chapter. Thanks for voting on my poll and reviewing. Continue on. Some annnouncements at the end!**

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Thalia's POV

I ducked right before she chopped my head off. Eris didn't quit. She was pumped up and full of energy. She kept attacking me. I tapped my bracelet. It transformed to my trusty, Medusa-faced shield Aegis. My shield wouldn't be much against her godly powers. I needed my spear. Was there something I could temporarily use?

I looked through the corner of my left eye and saw a metal bar. It could just work.

"Nico, pass me that bar!" I yelled. He rushed to the other side of the room, near the fountain, where the bar was. That gave me another idea.

"Percy, it's time to go fish boy on us." I said, jerking my head toward the fountain.

"On it," He said.

Nico came back and tossed me the metal bar.

I blocked Eris' next attack by using the metal bar.

"Damn you, Thalia Grace." Eris told me. A little bit of anger boiled inside of me when she said my last name. I never liked using it. Eris noticed I got upset about that. She smirked, that stupid cocky witch. She continued to strike me with her sword. I blocked it again and swung the metal bar, hitting her right in the face. Then I noticed something I didn't noticed before. It wasn't a regular bar. When I did a double take, it was bronze, not regular old metal. It left a decent sized cut on her.

"Try to disguise this as a regular bar? This is very useful Celestial bronze since it can affect immortals." I swung again and cut her arm. She began to bleed golden ichor, the blood of the immortals.

"That's it!" She swung her sword and I dodged it.

"Annabeth, you're turn!" I called to her. She took out her Yankees cap from her back pocket and put it on. Annabeth slowly walked near our "situation" and sneak-attacked Eris. She tackled her and began slashing with her knife.

"What is…oh you play a dangerous game demigod." Eris spat.

"At least I can see who I'm attacking. " Annabeth commented as she continued battling Eris, taking my place. Eris had a few cuts and her dress was torn a bit.

The thing was…I expected her to fight harder. I mean, she was basically the goddess of chaos. There should have been blood everywhere, our blood. But she was the one bleeding. Well, I had a cut on my face but it wasn't much.

Eris shouldn't be weak though. She even said so herself she Ares' best friend! That should stand for something. But her fighting skill currently was a 6/10. Where was the other four? Unless we weakened her, or she weakened herself, she wasn't fighting with her all. She had circles under her eyes, like she needed sleep. But gods didn't sleep, unless they took a nap once in a while. But it wasn't necessary. Something was really off about Eris.

I passed by those two and walked over to Grover and Nico.

"Do you have your reed pipes?" I asked Grover.

He pulled a cord on his neck and pulled out his pipes.

"I always have them." He answered

"Good. We might need some of you're woodland magic. Do you know a song that could, I don't know, have roots wrap around Eris' legs to make her stay put?"

He nodded. "It would take a lot of energy out of me but I can try. When do you want me to start?"

"Now," I answered

Grover heard the authority in my voice and fumbled with his pipes. I turned to Nico.

"Aren't you going to contribute di Angelo?" I asked

"I, rather not be killed by a freaky goddess. But Thalia, you're lucky I'm nice." Nico snapped his fingers and ten skeleton warriors arose from the ground. They went into battle, joined Annabeth, and fought Eris.

"That, dear cousin, was just lazy." I concluded.

He shrugged. "I'm saving the best for last. I do associate with the shadows of the darkness."

"Spooky, enough. Should we go get Percy now?" I asked

"I guess so. He's been over there water-bending like he's from The Last Air-bender or something."

I laughed. "He's a show-off. Don't tell him I said that."

"Don't worry. Besides, here he comes now." He pointed to Percy who was walking this way.

"Are you guys ready?" Percy asked.

Nico and I exchanged a look. "As ready as we'll ever be." Nico said

"We'll probably be worn out afterwards." I said.

"We'll we're combining three things that should be deadly. If we pass out, don't be surprised." Percy said.

That's when Annabeth came running toward us. She had a few scratches on her forearms and her hair was a messed. Other than that she was fine.

"Now, would be a good time to go through with the final part of the plan." She huffed

"Grover, how's that song working out?" I asked

"Take a look!" He called out. We turned to wear Eris was. Roots were crawling up, twisting around her legs, keeping her in place. She tried using her sword to cut them but then the roots were tying around her wrists, keeping her from doing that.

"Well that went well. I don't even know where the apple went. Doesn't she have it?" I asked

Annabeth shook her head. "It didn't look the same as it did when we first got here. She's probably hiding the real one, because if that once was real, she would have used it already. She's using a decoy to mess with us."

"But where's the real one?" Nico asked

"Is it still in the case?" Percy asked. We turned back to the case. The apple wasn't there.

A familiar voice filled my mind, _Sometimes when things cannot be seen, they are still there. Search deeper._

Hmm…

"Is there a hammer around here?" I asked

"Not that, I know of. Wait, didn't Sophia bring a backpack with her?" Annabeth asked.

"She did."

"I think I saw a black backpack by Eris' throne." Annabeth replied

"Thanks." I ran toward the throne. Sticking out from behind it was a Jansport backpack. I searched through it. There were some hunting knives, ambrosia and nectar. At the very bottom was a small, but reasonable sized hammer. I grabbed and put the bag next to Sophia's ice statue.

"Keep Eris busy! Make her as weak as you can!" I yelled at my friends.

I ran back to the case. The case was connected to the pedestal. Eris would be the only one to open it…until now.

I bashed the hammer onto the case. It started to form a small crack. That wasn't enough. I bashed it with the hammer again.

"That puts a whole new meaning to don't tap the glass!" Nico yelled at me.

The crack grew bigger, going around the case. I didn't want to use the hammer again until I got the apple. I raised my leg like a gymnast and kicked my leg down, colliding with the case. Glass spread everywhere. I probably had some pieces cutting through my skin. I didn't let it bother me.

I looked down at what was now a pedestal. The top look like it was made out of paper. I reached in there to see if something was down there. I felt something that was cold and solid. I grabbed it and pulled it up. In my hand was the Apple of Discord.

"Oh this is going to be fun." I said "Annabeth, catch!"

"No! Not my apple! I don't want your mortal essence on it!" Eris practically screamed

I locked eyes with Percy and Nico. I nodded.

Percy willed all the water to come out of the fountain. It swished and splashed behind Percy, waiting for his command.

What Nico did, I had to say, was sort of creepy. A dark aura was radiating from him. The lights dimmed a bit. All of our shadows that were once there had disappeared. They were reaching toward Nico, like he was their master.

While Percy was surrounded by water, Nico was surrounded by dark shadows of the night.

I knew it was my turn next. I concentrated as much as I could, which was difficult being ADHD.

_Please let this work._ I prayed to my father.

Soon my senses were filled with the smell of o-zone. I felt stronger somehow. The Blessing of Artemis? Perhaps the blessing of Zeus? The hairs on my arms stood up. I felt like I had an electric shock. If I directed the lightning that was in me toward anyone, they'll be in big trouble.

"Oh, I see now. Having the Big Three kids finish me off? I'm a goddess, children. Besides, you are nothing like your fathers." That. Cocky. Witch.

One…two…three.

We hurled all three of our powers toward her. They were in synch and mixed together. It looked like a great wave of…payback.

"AHHHH!" she screamed in a shrill voice.

At first, we couldn't tell what happened. We have had adverted our eyes for a minute. Her form was flickering. Then the flickering stopped. We turned toward her. She looked like she was hit in the head with a coconut. Every time she tried to form a sentence, she failed. Her words slurred. Though, I did catch the words, demigods, powers, gods, stupid, and damn.

She was really dazed. She was weak before but now she seemed close to fading.

"Care to do the honors?" Grover asked Annabeth. He looked ready to faint. Probably because the endless about of time he used playing his pipes.

"It has so much power. We don't know what chaos it would bring. Once we're done, we'll lock it up. Give it to Chiron or the Olympians. Not counting Ares." Annabeth said, staring down at the apple.

"That sounds like a good idea." Percy said, wrapping an arm around her.

"Here goes nothing." She got into a pitcher's stance and threw the apple straight at Eris. Gold mist as everywhere around her. When it drifted away, Eris looked on the verge of exploding. She was talking but…she was arguing with herself.

"You are such a goody-too shoes! Always, trying to, ruin my plans!"

"I wouldn't have to ruin your plans if they weren't so evil!" the goody-too shoes Eris yelled back.

Now I realized there was a slight difference between the voices. One sounded younger. So the twenty year old (insane Eris) was arguing with the fifteen year old (sane Eris).

"It was for a good purpose!" Insane Eris yelled

"No, it was about to cause full blown chaos!"

Eris threw her hands at her ears, as if that was going to help. Her eyes shut for a few seconds and they opened again. She seemed much calmer and she grew younger.

"It's nice being in control for a while." Sane Eris said. She got up and walked toward us. "Thank you so much. I really appreciate it."

"So you're not going to attack us?" Grover asked

"No, that side of me is currently fighting inside of me right now. It's like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde situation." Eris explained.

Annabeth nodded like she understood. "So the purpose of this was?"

"Power. Control. I still believed during and after the war the minor gods could do a better job. Other times I doubted myself. The thing is it's like the world doesn't need me anymore. It's chaotic enough." She sighed.

"Why didn't you try to do anything?" Percy asked.

"I wanted to tell the gods the situation down there. I wasn't all that cruel. I still cared. But every time I speak to them I always get a reply from Hermes or Iris saying the gods are too busy this and that. Now another force, a more natural force, will affect all of you. I did all this so I can get noticed and prove things aren't fine and dandy on earth." Eris answered

"What's the natural force?" Nico asked

"It should be obvious. You'll find out soon. I guess I'm fed up with the immortals and being immortal. My time is near. I'm sorry for putting you through so much trouble." She apologized

"At least we know your reasons behind it. But, what, about Sophia?" I asked

"I'm afraid there's nothing in my range of power to help. Khione has left to Canada. You need a more godly force to melt the ice."

"Apollo." We all answered

"Well, my control is slipping. We have to get to Olympus quickly."

"Can't you teleport us?" Grover asked

Eris shook her head. "My power is weakening. Pray to your parents. They'll help you."

There was a moment of silence while we prayed to our Olympian parents. If this doesn't work, I don't know what will.

Then I felt it, like I was being lifted up in the air. That's not a good thing for me. But it was quick.

Eris, Percy, Annabeth, Grover, Nico, Sophia, and I were now facing all twelve gods. Now it's confession time.

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**Annoucements**

**1) Contest! I was thinking about hosting a contest. What you could do is draw, paint, {whatever} you're favorite scene from this fanfiction! Posting it on devianart would be a good idea. Then you'll just send me a link and after enough entries I'll choose a winner! Prize? You're own important character in the sequel! I know what you're thinking. **_Siani, that's a crappy prize. _**It's as good as it's gonna get. Come on, it'll be fun! I'll make the winning picture my profile pic.**

**2) I want to make a blog. Like, seriously make one. It would basically be about some random topics and stuff going around fanfiction and such. Have you heard what's happening in Cairo? I would write about that too. I just need to find the time to go on blogspot...**

**3) I have two projects to work on soo updates might be slowler. But this is almost over. One, two chapters, then a sneak peek of the sequel. If you have any questions, PM me.**


	16. Chapter 16

**I apologize for not updating Monday nor Wednesday. I had a ton of school work and some family problems. I'm back now. A special thanks to Claire de Luna & Kay Celestine who gave me great constructive critisism. I promise the story will not have such a crappy job :D Next chapter is the last chapter, When you read that, the final thank you and sneak peek will be up also. DEGRASSI IS TONIGHT! Anyone else as hyped up as me?**

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Percy's POV

We appeared in front of the gods in the throne room. Apparently they shrunk their thrones and their selves to human size (thank goodness).

"We heard you're prayers. What was such an emergency and why do you have an ice statue and Eris with you?" Zeus asked; his voice and expression full of confusion.

"Hey Eris," Ares greeted his friend in a gruff voice.

"Nice statue by the way." Apollo laughed. Then his eyebrows furrowed. "That looks so familiar."

Annabeth and I shared a quick glance.

"Very familiar, so lifelike, it looks almost human. Wait a minute, that's my daughter!" He shrieked. Apollo hopped off his throne and stared at his frozen daughter. His left hand began to glow. He aimed a glowing ball of light toward the statue. It began to shake. Then, on cue, it shattered in many pieces. Sophia was now free.

"Th-th-that, w-was s-so cold." She stuttered. Sophia was obviously shivering and her skin almost looked blue.

"What happened to you?" he asked

"It's a lo-long st-story. They can explain." She pointed at us. Then she went to sit by the hearth next to Hestia. She seemed drained out of energy.

"Well, Percy, what happened?" My father asked

I turned to my friends. "Do any of you want to answer that question?"

"I think it's best if you'd explain." Grover said, chewing on a tin can.

I turned back to the gods. "Well, you see, it all started when Thalia came to camp…"

I explained to the gods about how Thalia came to camp asking if we wanted to go camping with her. We explained things on the trip. Thalia jumped in from time to time to explain her experiences, from loosing Aegis to falling off a cliff with Nico. We told them how Sophia decided to help us. But, once, we finished got the fight with Eris, things got complicated.

"Eris, you did what to our children?" Athena yelled.

"Honestly, I did not mean to!" She said

"How did you, not mean to? You know what you did." Hades told her

"She actually didn't mean to. We explained about how she was conflicted inside. Like the prophecy warned, she's gone mad." Nico said

"I can't believe it. How did you get all the Oracles to give a prophecy in the dream?" Apollo asked, fanning himself from the shock.

Eris looked like she'd rather leave. "I used a little magic here and there. I tricked you into helping me; you are the god of prophecies after all."

"How come I don't remember this?"

"Remember, I said magic."

"Who supplied you with this magic?" Hera asked

Eris bit her lip. "Hecate…"

"HECATE!" Zeus yelled. He was probably heard all over Olympus.

A bright light shined in the room and appeared from it was Hecate.

"Zeus, must you have to yell? I dropped three vials of potions on the floor."

"Hecate, explain yourself, why did you help Eris?"

Hecate's brown eyes widened. She looked back and forth from Zeus to Eris. "It was her fault! She blackmailed me into doing her dirty work. I wanted no part of it!" She rambled.

"I sense she's telling the truth." Apollo said.

"See, the god of truth knows I am not lying!"

"What was the blackmail?"

She gulped. "It wasn't true I'll tell you that. She threatened to tell everyone that I was…with Ares."

"What!" Ares and Aphrodite yelled. If you thought Aphrodite wasn't scary, you haven't seen her when she's mad.

"It's not true! But I didn't want my reputation trashed." Hecate explained

"I believe you. Hecate, you may go. Eris, you are in major trouble." Zeus said.

"On another note, how did you two fall off the cliff?" Hades asked Thalia and Nico.

Their bodies tensed. They knew what would happen. If they explained how they fell, they'll have to explain what happened afterwards.

"Well, when I walked down the path the first time, there wasn't even a cliff. Turns out, now to think about it, it was caused by Eris and Aphrodite." Thalia said slowly.

The gods then turned their eyes to Aphrodite, who was filing her nails.

"What?" She asked

"What did you do?" Zeus asked, then he coughed.*

"I don't even remember helping her out. Maybe she used a memory potion thingy. I was convinced because love was tied with it." She said, admiring her manicure

"Love?" Hades asked.

Thalia grabbed hold of Nico's hand, and stepped forward.

"Hades, Artemis, Father. When we fell off the cliff…Nico and I, we kissed." Thalia looked down, ashamed

There were gasps in the room. Hades looked proud of Nico, Aphrodite looked like she was at a shoe sale, Artemis looked betrayed, and Zeus looked like he wanted to wring Nico's neck.

"Thalia," Nico began

"Shush, I got this." She told him.

"But what about what I told you?" He asked her

"I would be cheating myself."

"Thalia, is this true?" Artemis and Zeus asked in unison. Poseidon sneezed.* Zeus glared at him.

"Sorry," Poseidon said.

"Yes, it's true. It was an accident since I fell on him. But…I enjoyed the kiss." She admitted. I blinked. I didn't expect her to say that.

Artemis sighed. "Do you have feelings for Nico, Thalia?"

Thalia looked at Nico for a few seconds and gave him a small smile. "Yes, I do."

"Well, by this time I would have had you banned from the hunters and turned the son of Hades into a jack lope. But since you are my sister, and he is my cousin, I am giving you a choice. You can stay as a hunter or…leave for love."

The room was dead silent. Not a single word. It was like everyone was holding their breath, while staring at Thalia and Nico.

Meanwhile, the two were having a small exchange.

"So this is where it ends." She whispered

"Yeah, I think it's a good idea." He gave a small nod.

"I'm not sure if it is a good choice."

"It doesn't matter if it's a good choice. What matters is that it's the right choice." He told her.

"You're a good kid, you know that?"

"I know. I won't be turned into an animal after this am I?" he asked

She kissed his cheek. "No, you won't. This is good for us."

"I know." She moved closer to the gods, hand in hand with Nico.

"I had made my decision and it's the right one." She squeezed Nico's hand. He stepped back.

Artemis stood up from her throne and transformed into her twelve year old form. "You were a really great Lieutenant, Thalia. I'll miss you."

"I still am the best Lieutenant. Artemis, I choose to stay." She grinned. Artemis looked surprised. Her mouth opened to speak, but no words came out. She was expecting the opposite like the rest of us.

I looked at Nico. He had a sad smile at his face.

"You knew?" I asked him.

He shrugged. "It was the right choice. I wasn't going to force her out of something she loved. Hey, I'm a nice guy. I wouldn't do that to Thalia."

"That, I'm thankful for." Thalia told him.

"No! You both made such a cute couple!" She blew into a tissue.

"Aphrodite, don't you think you're overreacting?" Hephaestus asked her

She glared at him. "I'll show you overreacting."

"Enough, Aphrodite, you are giving me a headache." Demeter said.

Thalia and Artemis hugged. "I'm glad you stayed. I thought you were quitting. I should have known you wouldn't leave for some boy." Artemis said.

Thalia looked at Nico while speaking to Artemis. "As much as I hate mushy, lovey, dovey stuff, he's not just some boy. Nico's great, and knows what I want. It makes him even better." Nico's cheeks flared at the compliment.

I raised my hand like I was in class.

"Yes, Percy?" my father asked

"What are we going to do about Eris?" I asked.

"Hmm. Hades, do you have an idea?" Hera asked

"Maybe confiscate that damned apple of hers and have her stay in Tartarus for two months with her mother Nyx, as punishment." He mused

"What!" She yelled. "That's not fair! Two months without anything to do? Plus you can't take my apple away! The gods aren't allowed to take away the other's symbols of power." She complained

"Introducing, bratty Eris," Grover whispered beside me. I chuckled.

"But we can keep it hidden if we need to, and right now, we need to." Zeus told her. She crossed her arms.

"It is settled. So off you go." Hermes waved

Eris looked at me with her icy blue eyes. "Remember the natural force*, Perseus." Then she disappeared in a bright flash.

Hades massaged his temple. "I can feel her presence there. Her constant complaining is annoying!"

"We'll lock the apple up as soon as possible and far away from Ares."

"Hey!"

So let's go down the checklist shall we?

Sophia was out of the ice. Check.

Eris was in Tartarus. Check.

The gods are locking away the apple. Check.

Thalia and Nico made their decision and Thalia's still a hunter. Check.

Why did it feel like something was missing?

Then we heard a groan near the hearth. Sophia was on the floor, staring at the fire. She looked pale.

"Sophia what's wrong?" Apollo asked

"It's time for me to go." She whispered.

"What do you mean, you're time?" I asked

"I have a confession to make. I have to explain how I knew those things, everything. I also have to explain what's happening now."

"Go ahead." Apollo said, gripping her hand. She is looked so fragile. It wasn't like her. For a young girl, she seemed tough. Now she was completely weakened.

"She planted a disease of some sort in my mind. It's supposed to cause madness. I can see, picture things, dangerous things in my mind. Pure chaotic madness." Sophia said, staring at the hearth.

"Maybe we can help." Apollo told her. "Dionysus is the expert at madness."

She shook her head. "Not even the god of madness himself, or the god of medicine will help me. It was something brought out of chaos by that stupid apple. Speaking of which, here you go." Sophia weakly brought up her right hand, which held an apple made of solid gold.

"I picked it up when I was unfrozen. Back on topic, Eris is the only one who can undo this. Her insane side is at Olympian Prison or something. You guys can't watch her closely from Tartarus. Her sane, much calmer side is in the dream realm."

"The dream realm?" The gods asked in unison,

Sophia nodded. "When you go to sleep, where do you go? Why, the dream realm, of course. Maybe when she was sleeping, the bad inside of her took control then, which made the good go away when she was sleeping. Now she's in the dream realm, while the crazy part is in the Underworld."

"How long have you had this?" Percy asked

"For a while now, back when I was her servant." Sophia answered. Each time she said a sentence, she took slow breaths.

"Her servant?" I asked

She regarded me with her empty eyes again. Her pupils were there but her eyes seemed lifeless. "Yes, it was a few weeks back. I was wandering the woods and I stumbled upon that manhole. Curious, I went inside. That's when I met her. She seemed nice at first, but that was before I figured out which goddess she was. It wasn't until I wanted to leave that it was all a façade. She wouldn't let me leave. Eris…she abused me. Who knew she had a whip?"

At that, everyone in the room flinched. What has this girl been through?

"One day, she left to go to Olympus. I played the loyal servant act for a while so she let me stay. That's when I escaped. But I was caught. She let me go but gave me a parting gift. My end is near. It's like poison in the brain, sucking the life out of me."

"So, you're slowly dying as we speak, ever since then?" Aphrodite asked.

"Yes. I deserve it. This is my entire fault. You guys could have had a normal camping trip. I should have warned the Olympians and fought Eris. This is my fault." Sophia said, tears escaping her eyes. Her eyes had a far-away look.

"It isn't your fault. There's nothing you could have done." Annabeth told her.

"Well it's too late now. I see, a meadow with flowers. Something's wrong. No animals. Everything's gray. She's there!" She yelled

My eyes widened at the description. I knew what she was talking about.

"Sophia, you have to stay strong." Apollo pleaded.

"Bye dad." Her eyes grew wide like a fish. Then a murderous scream escaped from her mouth. All of Olympus and Earth could have heard her. Then she was silent. Her eyes closed. They did not open again.

Nico walked over to her and grabbed her wrist, then her hand. "No pulse. Her life aura…she's gone."

"This is horrible, really horrible." Thalia said, looking down.

"She died a young maiden." Artemis said

"Oh, no," Annabeth gasped.

"What?" I asked her

"Sophia said that her brother left to help some lady. He's probably at the ranger station by now. Who's going to tell him?"

"I'll do it." Apollo said. He carried Sophia's lifeless body, bridal style. "If anyone should tell, it's her father. I'll tell him and her mother. Can someone get a burial shroud?"

Hestia volunteered and left the room.

"I'm sorry Lord Apollo." I said

He regarded me with sad eyes. "It's sad how it couldn't be prevented. It's all Eris' fault."

"This has been a sad experience for all of us. You are all heroes of Olympus. We thank you for your help. You continue you're trip for one last night. In the morning, Iris message us, and we'll teleport you to camp." Artemis said, standing next to her brother.

We all bowed. Then we were teleported back to our campsite.

It was going to be a sad campfire tonight.

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**I killed off Sophia. Now we know her past and she dies. The asterisks you ask? *wink, wink. nudge nudge.*** **Those, my readers, are hints for the sequel. You're probably wondering why is Poseidon sneezing so important. Well, it would make sense in the end. THE CONTEST IS STILL OPEN. I had only one entry. :( you guys said you'll try. I don't want Willow to win by default. They should atleast competed against someone, right? Just, try. That would be great. Monday, I promise I'll update. The sequel would probably be up sometime in March. I have other stories to create. Bye!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Oh My Goodness! *breathes heavily* I couldn't update Monday (I broke my promise) because I wasn't finished. Now I have! Seems rushed, best I could do. I need to study and work on the sequel. The Sneak Peek and Thank you is up. Now Read this freakin story already!**

* * *

Thalia's POV

We spent the last night roasting marshmallows.

"How many days since we left camp?" Percy asked.

"About five days. We were supposed to stay for about two weeks." Annabeth answered

"That seems short. But we had a shorter time limit on quests, right? Who's glad this trip was cut short?" Everyone, including me, raised their hand.

"This has been a strange five days in Hell's Forest. Thalia, remind me to never go camping with you ever again." Nico said.

"Haha, Nico, I thought the wilderness is your friend?" I asked, with an amused look on my face.

"Don't judge me. Although this trip has been entertaining and exciting, I'd rather not deal with psychotic goddesses." He defended.

"All that said, is so true." Grover said.

"Are you coming back to camp with us, Thalia?" Annabeth asked

"Yeah, I'll probably stay for a few days." I told her.

"Good. We can make up the rest of the camping days." Nico smiled.

But I was staring at the campfire. "What do you think is going to Sophia?"

Everyone was silent but you can hear the crickets chirp. It was only an hour after she died.

"Hopefully, she's in Elysium. I'll make sure of that." Nico said, looking down.

"I wonder how the Apollo cabin will take it." Grover said.

"They'll mourn her death obviously, and probably sing a song in her honor." Annabeth said.

"That was a pretty bad way to die, don't you think?" Percy asked.

We nodded. "Apollo seemed to be taking it hard." I said

"The sun won't shine as bright in the morning."

After a few minutes of silence, Percy spoke up.

"Who wants to play a game?"

"A game," I raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, like 20 questions or something. Except, fewer questions, because it's about one in the morning."

I shrugged, "Go ahead."

"Okay," Percy began, "This one's for Nico."

"What is it?" Nico asked, chewing a marshmallow.

"How did you feel when you saw Artemis and Zeus' faces?"

Nico choked. "I think Artemis was pretty scary but Zeus looked just about ready to shoot me down with his lightning bolt."

"I think he's over protective." I said

"You think? Anyways, Grover, I have a question for you." Nico said, looking mischievous.

"Okay, what is it?"

"Do you know what Pan did?" Oh dear.

"No, I don't. What are you talking about?" Grover asked. Nico leaned over and whispered something in Grover's ear. Grover's face started turning pink.

"Pan learned from Hermes how to do WHAT?"

We were all laughing a Grover's expression.

"You knew about it?" He asked

I nodded

"No offense to people who do that, but it's not every day a satyr hears that type of thing about their patron."

::

The game continued on for awhile. Weird questions were asked. By the time it was near two in the morning, we went back to the tent.

"Do not wake me up until the morning." Annabeth said, lying in one part of a tent with Percy.

"Of course not, we wouldn't want to interrupt your quality time with you're boyfriend." I snickered

"Haha, very funny Thalia. Good night, or morning, or whatever." Percy shut his eyes.

I lied down near Nico. I winced from the pain that shot up from my leg.

"You okay?" He asked I gave him _the look._

He rummaged through his backpack and found a canteen of nectar.

"Drink," He said. I took small sips. I didn't need to burn up. He rolled up my jeans. My left leg was bleeding and small pieces of glass were stuck in there.

"This might hurt a bit." He started taking out the glass from my leg. I shut my eyes and clenched my teeth. It was really stuck in there and hurt when it was being pulled out.

"Sorry, sorry." He grabbed a towel and pressed it to control the bleeding.

"Psst, Grover. First aid kit, anywhere?" Nico asked

Grover looked around and passed some over. He took out some rubbing alcohol and some gauze. Together, the two boys applied the medical supplies.

"Thanks guys." I whispered, not to wake up the love birds.

"No problem. Was that when you broke the glass case?" Grover asked. I nodded.

"You think you can walk?" Nico asked

"Might hurt a bit but I think I can manage." I said

"Good because you're coming outside with me." Nico said, starting to get up.

"Whoa, what? I'm not going on there." But her already grabbed both my arms and dragged me out of the tent. My sneakers dragged against the dirt beneath me.

"Nico, where are you taking me?" I asked

"You'll see." was the only answer I got.

We passed through a few bushes until he dropped me on the ground.

"Bitch," I mumbled. I stood up slowly from my place and looked around. We were near the waterfall again. The moonlight was shining brightly on the stream. Probably Artemis saying, _I'm always watching._

There was a family a deer across from where we were standing. I have to say, the babies looked really cute.

"So, you dragged me out of the tent, why exactly?" I asked

He took a deep breath. "Just trying to make things official. About…you and me."

Oh.

"Does this mean you don't like me anymore?"

"Of course not Nico. But, I'm still a hunter. I don't know for how long, but this is what I want." I told him.

"I understand. It's going to be hard you know, containing the feelings. You know what else sucks?" He asked

"What?"

"This sounds like a strange, messed up love story." He said, smirking. He knew how to make me laugh.

I gave him a short kiss on the lips. "That was to seal the deal, make it official. I don't know how long we won't be together. But wait for me okay?"

"But if another girl comes around…"

"I wouldn't mind. After all, you can't wait forever di Angelo."

"Back to the last names! Come on Grace, we need to sleep."

::

I seriously didn't want any oatmeal, but apparently that's all Annabeth can cook.

I raised my glass of orange juice. "Cheers! To surviving another day as demigods and to the gods."

"To the gods!"

I took a nice, long sip. "Any wants to give up a drachma?"

Percy searched his pockets until he found one.

"Thank you. Now go make some water, fish boy." After glaring me down for two seconds, he made a nice little spring of water that had sunlight bouncing over it, creating a rainbow.

"O, Iris, rainbow goddess, please accept our offering." I threw it in and the mist started forming.

"Uh, the gods, throne room of Mount Olympus."

Apparently it was bad timing because the Big Three were arguing…again.

"Mother Rhea liked me best!"

"Only because you were such a kiss up."

"I'd prefer the rock than you!"

"Oh shut up Poseidon."

"AHEM." I cleared my throat _very_ loudly.

That caught their attention.

"Oh, hello daughter. Ready to go?" My father asked. I nodded impatiently.

"Very well." In a wave of a hand, we were teleported outside the borders, down the hill of Camp Half Blood.

"A nice, warm bed, waiting for my presence." I said, charging up the hill. But, my vision started to blur, and I felt like I couldn't breathe. I gasped for air.

"Thalia, are you alright?" Nico asked, behind me. I shook my head. Something wasn't right. I looked over at Percy and he was coughing, a lot. Were we getting sick? I don't see how. Then I remember Zeus coughing and Poseidon sneezing in the throne room. I thought it was just random. But now…

Once, I made it next to my tree that was guarded by Peleus, I fainted.

_Sweetie, you're problems are beginning…now. _

**Anyone care to answer who was that talking in the last sentence? What's wrong with Thalia and Percy? Is there going to be any Thalico? Percabeth? Will Grover has his time to shine. All these questions will be answer is part II: Coming this March. Now turn the page for a sneak peek.**


	18. Sneak Peek

Sneak Peek!

I could feel my consciousness returning. Nothing like a demigod dream to drain everything out of you. But that's not the reason why. Thalia and I passed out by the tree. I don't know why. I hate not knowing what's going on.

I woke up in the sick room, being spoon fed ambrosia. For a minute I thought it was Annabeth, like old times. But when my vision cleared, I think I've gone mad.

It wasn't right, because the face I was staring at couldn't be at camp.

I was looking at the supposedly dead face of Sophia, daughter of Apollo.

**Now it's official. The story is now over! I can now work on my other stories and have more breaks. I can also start working on the sequel! The contest is extended until I post the sequel. The title is revealed on my profile. I'm going to make a new poll asking for which of the upcoming stories should I work on, like, right now.**

**But I have to thank you guys! Thank you to all who reviewed my story:**

**Bonifaco16, jahfreenalam, SkylerPhoenix, Lovebooks777, Friends Are Like Potatoes, KairacahraFlowerGoddess, Mr. Seaweed Brain 179, TheJazzyDolphin, AnimalBuddy32, Percabethlover, Thalia Grace-Pinecone Face, FantasyFan57, Emily Darkbow, Coral, Seaweed Brain24256, SaradocCraver101, alexandriarulzforeva, DaughterofHecate1234, Thalico forever 21, IhugNico, TheBeatles. HelloGoodbye, BlackLily, Abby, GazmRules, CheeseEater, Anonymous, leahtastic, Pony, Charals, Assassins Stole My Pants, deepoblivion99, TwinkleLights123, continue, Bianca-Skittles, shadeslayer97, rainbowmonFTW, readermillions girl, HappyAce88, ****Raina Cheyenne Pope, waterpoloplayer, Scribe of the books, Cra-zGirl100, Posidion'sDaugher, Percy Jackson luver, Kay Celestine, Claire de Luna, blackbutterfly 21, aw, Annie Heartcrest,**

**Too many names to copy and paste *eye twitch* so thanks to all who favored my story and subscribed! You all are great, now I have to leave this up for a short amount of time before someone reports this. Bye guys! Check out my other stories or PM. See ya! ;)**


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